Residents can now check councillor attendance records
West Lancashire Residents are now able to easily check the attendance records of their councillors after local Independents, Our West Lancashire promoted the change.
OWL councillor Adrian Owens moved a motion calling for publication at the July council meeting pointing out that neighbouring councils in Chorley and South Ribble already published councillor attendance records and that school governing bodies now had to do similar for school governors.
Speaking after the first attendance records were published on the council website, Cllr Owens said, “95% of residents supported this change in our snap poll, but it is typical of the silly games played by other councillors and the power of the party whip that not one Labour or Conservative councillor agreed with these residents when the motion was debated. Some of them obviously wanted to keep residents in the dark about their attendance.”
Cllr Owens concluded by saying that he was pleased that sense had prevailed. “Someone realised that we would publish the attendance records in any event and that the council would then look foolish and so took the necessary action. This is another small step in bringing West Lancashire local government practices up to date.”