Exodus threat to parish politics

Mr Byers wants to breathe new life into local government

Every member of a Devonshire parish council is refusing to sign a new government-backed code of conduct which forces them to reveal private information.

The group of seven, from the village of Beaford, north Devon, will be disqualified if they do not sign up by the mid-May deadline.

One member described the new rules as "bureaucracy gone mad".

And their stance has provoked fears of a crisis in local administration in England and Wales if hundreds of councillors refuse to sign up.

We have to be seen to be 'good boys', but none of us have anything to hide

Councillor Chris Rogers, Beaford

But the head of a group representing 10,000 parish, community and town councils, has defended the code, describing some coverage of the issue as "scaremongering".

The new rules, contained in the Local Government Act 2000, outlines a new Ethical Framework.

Every parish councillor must agree to abide by the Code of Conduct, and then disclose in a Register of Interests a range of personal information.

This includes such areas as employment, share ownership where it affects parish interests, certain personal gifts or hospitality and election expenses.

But Chris Rogers, a member of Beaford Parish Council for more than 10 years, described the new requirements as "way over the top".

'Myths exploded'

"We just want what's best for the village. We have to be seen to be 'good boys', but none of us have anything to hide.

"There's fewer and fewer people that want to take on this kind of work, and I can't see many people wanting to take our place."

Beaford Parish Council will not sign up

A new body called the Standards Board for England will monitor charges of rule-flouting after the code has been signed, but any councillors who do not sign will be disqualified and replaced.

The National Association of Local Councils has been organising briefings to explain the code.

Chief executive John Findlay said it would bring greater "accountability and transparency to public life".

"A community must be entitled to know the relevant interests of those elected to represent them."

He added: "In our experience, councillors are happy to comply once the real requirements are explained and some of the myths exploded."