Big brother is watching, says councillor (From Wilts and Gloucestershire Standard)

Big brother is watching, says councillor

LONG-STANDING parish councillor Ken Taylor is refusing to sign a new code of conduct because he says it 'stinks of big brother'.

Cllr Taylor, who has been a member of Aldsworth Parish Council for the past 30 years, says he will not sign the new code but will stay on the parish council until he is expelled.

Under the Local Government Code of Conduct parish councillors must declare any business interests or membership of organisations or any community bodies that they represent.

Cllr Taylor said: "Every time we've been elected we have signed a code of conduct which I've been very happy with.

"Our parish council has five councillors and a precept of £750 and most of it is used for grass cutting.

"If the local farmer gave me farmyard manure I would have to declare it.

"I can understand it for larger councils but at parish council level it stinks of big brother and I don't think it should be brought down this far.

"I will carry on on the parish council until they come and expel me and then I will attend as a member of the public."

All five members of Poulton Parish Council have refused to formally sign up to the code.

This means the code has now applied by default.

They now have to complete their register of interest forms within 28 days of the code coming in.

If they fail to do this they could be reported to the National Standards Board for England. Parish council chairman Chris Davies said: "In a small rural community it is nonsense.

"You have to declare an interest anyway but now they're asking us to declare property owned, financial interests or whether you belong to a club.

"It's a total intrusion into our personal rights."

In Chedworth two parish council members, Don Courtney and Sue Sharman, refused to sign the code and have since lost their seats.

Nigel Adams, democratic services manager at Cotswold District Council said there was a lot of confusion about the code and register of interests.

"We have been concerned at the confusion there is in the parishes about the code," he said.

"There has always been an undertaking to sign one but the big difference is the register of interests.

"It's not as onerous a task as it has been perceived to be.

"In many cases the interest forms are quite bare.

"There are a lot of good parish councillors out there and we don't want to see parish councils losing members because of a misunderstanding."