North East Assembly leader, Alex Watson breaches Code of Conduct

Yet again one has to question the surreal world of local politics and the role of the unwanted, unelected and unaccountable North East Assembly...and this arrogant affront to democracy. This time the unelected Assembly's Chairman, Alex Watson, found guilty by the Standards Board of England.

Sunday Telegraph
Christopher Booker's Notebook
(Filed: 26/03/2006)

Prescott's Code is a blight on democracy

From one end of the land to the other, Prescott's Code is a blight on democracy. A recurrent theme of the many letters I have had on the havoc being inflicted on local councils by John Prescott's Code of Conduct is how this appears to encourage a system of double standards.

It is often used to exclude from debates councillors who oppose official policy, because this supposedly gives them a "prejudicial interest", but members supporting their council's ruling establishment seem curiously immune.

When the North-East Regional Assembly earmarked the ward represented on Derwentside council by John Pickersgill as suitable for more wind turbines, he organised a local referendum. The area already has six turbines. Faced with the prospect of 17 more, more than 80 per cent of the residents voted - and more than 80 per cent were opposed.

When Councillor Pickersgill tried to raise this in a debate on the assembly's regional planning strategy, he was excluded from the room as having a "prejudicial interest".

However, it was deemed quite acceptable for the council's leader, Alex Watson, to speak in favour of the assembly's policy, even though he did not think it necessary to declare that he was himself also the assembly's chairman.

When Mr Pickersgill raised this with the council's "monitoring officer", he was told that the leader had done nothing wrong - which seemed so bizarre that he reported the case to the Standards Board for England.

An independent inquiry ruled that Councillor Watson was in breach of the Code of Conduct after all. But Mr Pickersgill has become so disillusioned by the demoralising effect of the code on the council that he has now resigned.

In South Cambridgeshire, eyebrows were raised recently when one prominent councillor failed to declare prejudicial interest or to leave the room during interviews with representatives of five charities funded by the council - even though she is chairman of one of the charities. The monitoring officer ruled that a complaint to the Standards Board would be "inappropriate" - though no fewer than 11 complaints are currently lodged against other councillors.

From Dorset, Richard Thomas - a town councillor in Shaftesbury known for frank criticism of the council's establishment - asks whether having had 10 complaints about him lodged with the Standards Board by fellow councillors constitutes a record. One investigation, which cost in the region of £20-30,000, was eventually found to be based on a false allegation. All 10 complaints were eventually rejected or dropped. Whether or not Mr Thomas holds the record, I hear similar stories from all over England.