HEREFORDSHIRE Council last year voted to give publicity to cases of councillor misconduct in a bid to be more transparent with the public.

But what is the point of publishing complaint decision notices if the details are so vague?

The current system leaves the public wondering, what, if anything, the councillors have done wrong.

How can voters make an informed decision when electing their representatives if details of their conduct are hidden from public scrutiny?

This week we run a story about a parish councillor who has resigned after a complaint was upheld against her.

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The decision notice contains very little detail about what she did wrong, apart from using prior knowledge of an issue through her employment to assist her council.

This, on the face of the information we have, seems an extremely bizarre breach.

The council has been asked to provide more clarity but could not do so. The issue is now subject of a freedom of information request.

Many of the new administration’s councillors were rightly calling for more openness before they gained control of the levers of power.

Are they now finding that the transparency they so fiercely demanded of the previous Conservative leadership is too much for them to handle?

Voters expect actions on promises, not empty words of reassurance. Just because you say you are open does not mean you actually are.