THERE are no county councillors who have declared themselves as members of the Freemasons.

Following a Freedom of Information request to Herefordshire Council, the local authority said none of its elected members or employees have declared themselves as Freemasons.

But the council does not have a policy which specifically requires councillors to declare themselves as a member of the society.

The members’ code of conduct requires councillors to declare personal interest as appropriate to the business being discussed at any time.

The council’s employee code of conduct requires that: “An employee must declare to their director the membership of any organisation which is not open to the public without formal membership, with a commitment of allegiance and with secrecy about rules or membership conduct.”

The Freemasons is one of the world’s oldest secular fraternal societies, made up of men who are concerned with moral and spiritual values.