JOHN HATTON challenged councillors to sign up to The Bell Principles. Following the meeting the News asked each councillor “will you sign?” The principles are listed in full below, followed by the councillor responses.
1) Abide wholeheartedly by the spirit and letter of the Seven Principles of Public Life set out by Lord Nolan in 1995: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership;
2) Be guided by considered evidence, our real world experience and expertise, our constituencies and our consciences;
3) Be free from the control of any political party, pressure group or whip;
4) Be non-discriminatory, ethical and committed to pluralism;
5) Make decisions transparently and openly at every stage and level of the political process, enabling people to see how decisions are made and the evidence on which they are based;
6) Listen, consulting our communities constantly and innovatively;
7) Treat political opponents with courtesy and respect, challenging them when we believe they are wrong, and agreeing with them when we believe they are right;
8) Resist abuses of power and patronage and promote democracy at every level;
9) Work with other elected independents as a Group with a chosen spokesperson; and,
10) Claim expenses, salaries and compensation openly so the public can judge the value for money of our activities.
Cr Graham McLaughlin
“Yes, I would have no trouble signing up to the Bell Principles.”
Cr Ken Halstead
“As soon as I can sign on the dotted line. It’s all the sorts of things I have prescribed to all my life so there’s nothing new there.”
Cr Jim Mauger
“I have no problem with that, I would probably have been the author of it. That is part and parcel of what I am about, I have been doing the same thing as John Hatton for years and years and years.”
Cr Juliet Arkwright
“I consider that I abide to all of these basic principles and will continue to do so but, on principle, I fail to see this charter with my signature attached to it. I still feel if there is something wrong, that could still be misinterpreted. I am preserving my integrity as a councillor by saying I won’t sign.”
Cr Jim Clark
“I am in broad agreement with them as reasonable and desirable objectives. However, as a member of the Greens I’m not an Independent and couldn’t sign up. I consider all matters on the evidence and act in an ethical manner complying with councils code of conduct and make decisions openly and transparently within the bounds of legal restraints and the Local Government Act.”
Cr Larry Whipper
“I would have no problem at all signing that. My only concern would be that point five would need to take into consideration our responsibilities in regards to confidentiality under the Local Government Act.”
Cr Duncan Gair
“I operate in that way anyway. I won’t sign it but I am concerned it would infer that I haven’t already been abiding by it. I am also concerned that principle three regarding ‘pressure groups’ would limit me from listening to the view of people that form a group for a common cause, and I don’t think principle nine should apply to local government.”
Cr David Stranger
“I agree with every principle, but point three is open to interpretation and for that reason I foreshadow that I couldn’t support that point. But I would be disappointed to see the others not get the tick.”
Cr Paul Tuddenham
“I don’t think number nine is applicable to local government because personally I think all councillors should be independents and not have political party alliances. I would be happy to sign for the rest, but I am concerned there would be an inference that I do not already abide by these principles.”
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