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Booker

If the Commons were ‘monitored’ like local councils, it would soon be empty

The Standards Board for England last week apologised to five Islington councillors who, after three years, had been cleared of charges made against them by a political opponent. This was the longest-ever investigation by the board, which was set up by John Prescott to enforce new rules on the conduct of local councillors. It cost £1.1 million, including a legal bill of £350,000 incurred personally by the councillors in their bid to defend themselves.

Since I first reported on the workings of Mr Prescott’s new system which sets up a “monitoring officer” in each council to enforce his Code of Conduct, I have been bombarded by MPs and councillors with examples from all over the country of the havoc it is inflicting on local government.

When the leader of West Norfolk council, John Dobson, took legal advice which enabled him to reverse a Standards Board ruling in favour of a complaint made against him, also by a political opponent, this left him with a bill for more than £23,000. But politically or maliciously inspired complaints, which have to be investigated by the Standards Board’s highly-paid Ethical Standards Officers, are only part of the problem.

Causing just as much confusion and dismay are bizarre rulings by zealous monitoring officers that councillors cannot even be present during discussions of issues on which they are judged to have a “personal and prejudicial interest”, although these may be the very issues on which they were elected.