COUNTY councillors have voted to keep any misconduct they commit hidden from the public eye.

Herefordshire Council will continue to keep voters in the dark about any elected members found in breach of the authority’s code of conduct, if proposals to change its constitution stay as they are.

Currently, the identity and any details relating to misdemeanors committed by councillors or officers are not revealed to the public.

Councillor Liz Harvey, from It’s Our County, called for more openness and transparency and tried to amend the proposed changes to the council’s constitution at the audit and governance committee meeting on yesterday.

She said: “The code of conduct, as it stands, has not had any changes made to it.

“I would like to propose that if a complaint is upheld that the name of the councillor is made public.”

Conservative Councillor Paul Newman, the committee chairman, said coun Harvey’s suggestion went against the recommendation of the working group and proposed a vote.

Councillors Anthony Powers, from It’s Our County, and Harvey voted for the change but councillor John Stone joined his Tory colleague Newman in blocking the move for more transparency.

The chairman used his casting vote to break the deadlock. Elected members had voted five to four at a previous secret meeting to recommend that councillors should not be named when they have been found in breach of the code of conduct by the monitoring officer.

Richard Stow, the independent person who advises the council on code of conduct complaints, criticised the lack of openness.

He asked: “How is this secrecy regarding conduct complaints which are upheld compatible with the Nolan principles of openness and accountability?”

Coun Newman said: “The constitution review working group considered the matter of code of conduct in considerable detail. “The working group has been assured that its proposals are compliant with the Nolan principles of openness and accountability.”

Mr Stow said: “I completely disagree. In the interest of promoting openness and accountability, who were the councillors who voted for secrecy, and who were the four councillors who voted for openness?”

Coun Newman said he had no record of the voting.

He added: “We are always very grateful for considered advice and guidance of an independent person but ultimately it’s for elected members to set and agree judgements and balances subject to complying with relevant statute and regulations.”

Full council will have the final say on any changes to Herefordshire Council’s constitution on May 25.