We are gradually updating the content of our website and my longer term aim is to make sure we do publish the register electronically.

Something for mySociety

Cllr Upstone is now considering declaring his membership of “Streetcar“, particularly in light of the fact the city council promotes the scheme and cooperates in providing space in their car parks.

I was quite surprised to learn that Cllr Upstone is not in favour of one of the Liberal Democrat’s flagship policies - the abolition of council tax. I wonder how many people voted for him, seeing the “Liberal Democrat” badge and assuming he was going to campaign against the council tax. In fact he proposes fixing the council tax. He is a supporter of ALTER, the Lib Dem campaign for Land Value Taxation.

Cllr Upstone also liked the idea of encouraging candidates to publicise their interests so that the electorate can see, for example, what political organisations their candidates are members of. This is the kind of thing which could be facilitated by the City Council in Cambridge and promoted by the parties. He was also in favour of a register accessible online.

We discussed a range of other items too, from Jesus Green, to Policing to Planning.

On planning he let me know the background to the Liberal’s Motion to Cambridge City Council this week:

The Council therefore calls on all its members to take part in and vote on all other planning items on their area committee agenda

This is apparently not simply a cheeky point scoring exercise criticising the Labour party for their principled objection to taking part in planning decisions but is aimed at some Liberal councillors too. Apparently there has been a planning decision recently with very few votes in favour, possibly only two, and many councillors either absent or abstaining.

I note Cllr Clare Blair was absent from the Planning committee, which she is a member of on the 13 August 2008.

Unusually he decided to clarify in the register:
“I no longer have a Tesco clubcard”.
This made me wonder if Cllr Blair was trying to keep secret the fact she uses Tesco as her email service provider. (She visits my website following searches on Tesco.net.)

Cllr Upstone’s other interests which he is now declaring include:

• Member of the Liberal Democrat Party.
• Green Liberal Democrats
• Greenpeace
• Amnesty International
• Cooperative (supermarket) member
• Member of the British Mountaineering Club (BMC)

I find it interesting that many councillors of all parties and none in Cambridge are members of the same political organisations. If the whole register is made available electronically it might become easy to answer such questions as do organisations such as Liberty, Greenpeace and Amnesty have a “majority” on Cambridge City Council?

My response included:

Bulletin 20 from the Standards Board states the Information Commissioner has given guidance that councils can publish their registers online.
(http://www.standardsboard.gov.uk/Publications/TheBulletin/filedownload,16078,en.pdf)

I see no difference between a council publishing a register entry and me doing so.

I am concerned that perhaps Cllr Blair has persuaded this council officer to act on her behalf in a personal matter.

I have decided to redact the user part of Cllr Blair’s Tesco.net email address, despite it having been widely published in association with her political activities. I note I published it as an ‘image’ and not text.

Mr Taylor,

I’m not inclined to spend time answering your questions when you say: “These apparent omissions give me little faith in the veracity of the rest of your entries.”

If you want to make politics more accountable, which I certainly do (see links below), then I’d suggest that you ask questions before pre-judging the answers.

You are basically accusing me (and Neil and Marian) of lying, based on assuming that what you describe as “omissions” is both correct and intentional.

You could have instead awaited the answer, before pre-judging. Instead, you’ve just lessened my inclination to trust you to be a partner in what I am seeking to achieve.

If you really are committed to making a difference in this area, then I’d suggest you don’t try doing so by unnecessarily insulting innocent people.

Knowing the character of Neil, and Marian, I think I could vouch for them too.

Sincerely,

Neale Upstone

Neale Upstone
Liberal Democrat Councillor for Kings Hedges, Cambridge City Council

Let’s have people power not big donor power http://politicalfundingwatch.blogspot.com Vote for the party committed to real change, the Liberal Democrats
Read Nick Clegg’s first conference speech here http://www.libdems.org.uk/news/nick-clegg-promises-a-new-type-of-government.14005.html

I replied

Neale Upstone,

I feel I have started here by asking questions, not pre-judging.

I have read your links, and note you are able to write critical articles about the manner in which the Labour Party is funded largely because they are now open about their sources of support. However by deciding not to answer most of the questions on the Register of Members’ interests form you do not appear to have been open about your support and potential influences yourself.

I am totally committed to making democracy work in this country.

I did not intend to insult anyone; you might well have simply replied to explain your highly unusual entry in the Register of Members’ Interests.

I have tried my best to act constructively following my experience of consulting the register though writing to individual councillors. I have also suggested the council improves the guidance and assistance it gives councillors in completing their entries, and have asked about the audit process; which apparently does pick up those not declaring interests in properties and companies but not those failing to declare party memberships. I also made suggestions for improving the accessibility of the register.

Neale Upstone further replied suggesting that it is possible that his current entry in the Register of Members’ Interests consists of a form he had expected officers to merge with his previous entry on the register.

This appears highly probable to me, and it is possible he has identified something which may affect other councillors too. I will look into this.