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The key word is transparency
TRANSPARENCY.
In the fallout that followed the MPs’ expenses scandal, this was the word onto which our three main parties clung.
Their privileged positions compromised, the only salve to a wounded public trust was the promise of future openness.
Fortunate for them – or rather, for some of them – that the General Election loomed, offering with it the perceived chance to wipe the slate clean and begin afresh.
It may yet be early days, but keeping us informed about how our money is spent formed such a key part of every party’s manifesto that there will be hell to pay if it is not upheld.
And so to local government. Though its remit is merely a fraction of its big brother, its powers but a shadow and its access to the public purse similarly downscaled, its principles remain the same.
It bears repeating that the spectre of impropriety did not hang over our council – it was national politicians whose reputations were tarnished. But if transparency is to be the watchword of “new politics”, then it must exist at all levels.
It is a decade since allowances were introduced for councillors, to replace a system which rewarded their attendance at meetings.
What better time, then, for the details of those allowances to be laid on the table? It is right and proper that we know how our money is allocated, and to whom.
In collating and printing these publicly available figures, the Knaresborough Post makes no judgement. It is simply a matter of public record.
If transparency is to be the cornerstone of a renewed faith in politics, we hope it will be welcomed by public and councillors alike.
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Weather for Wetherby
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
