Former infrastructure minister Dr Michelle Haywood MHK has expressed continued dismay that elected members may not have fully grasped a landmark local government bill.
Dr Haywood post on Facebook that the legislation’s core purpose is to enforce proper standards.
“The origin of this Bill lies in the recommendations of a Select Committee to ensure that elected LA members work to proper standards,” she said.
“Many of the clauses of the Bill are the ‘anti-corruption’ measures that I spoke about in the House of Keys this week.
“Those clauses will require members to adhere to the Nolan Principles, have a code of conduct, declare when they (or someone close to them) has a pecuniary (financial) interest and to deal with how a LA behaves if a member has a conflict of interest.”
She gave a direct example: “It would mean you couldn’t be a Board member and take part in the discussion or vote to give your own business a contract.
“It’s about ensuring ratepayers get the clear, transparent decisions made on their behalf.”
Warning that risks persist without the law, she added: “I find it rather sad that after all this ‘scrutiny’ these key aspects of this Bill appear to be ‘news’ to some people.”
This week saw new minister Tim Crookall given permission to adjourn the bill until March 10.