§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list those parish and town councils which have reported to him that they have had councillors resign rather than sign the new Standards Code. [76993]
§ Mr. LeslieThe Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Standards Board for England together have been informed of 95 resignations of parish councillors who were unwilling to accept the new Code of Conduct. A list of those parish councils is as follows:
905W
Authority Number of resignations Aiskew parish council 1 Arborfield and Newland parish council 1 Ashby Woulds town council 1 Baschurch parish council 1 Boddington parish council 2 Bradworthy parish council 1 Brenk Knoll parish council 1 Brockdish parish council 4 Bunwell parish council 1 Butleigh parish council 2 Chineham parish council 1 Credebhill parish council 2 Cutcombe parish council 1 Easebourne parish council 2 East Carlton parish council 3 Epsom and Ewell borough council 1 Fowey town council 1 Frensham parish council 1 Great Notley parish council 1 Hampstead Norreys parish council 2 Haversham cum Little Linford parish council 1 Holcome Burnell parish council 2 Holt parish council 2 Hungerford town council 3 Idmiston parish council 1 Kings Ripton parish council 2 Little Waltham parish council 5 Melsonby parish council 1 Mereworth parish council 2
Authority Number of resignations Midgham parish council 1 New Romney town council 1 Northchapel parish council 3 Norton parish council 1 Old Windsor parish council 1 Over Haddon parish council 1 Potton town council 2 Purton parish council 2 Ringmore parish council 1 Shinfield parish council 3 Snarestone parish council 1 Speldhurst parish council 1 St. Bees parish council 2 Stebbing parish council 2 Streatley parish council 1 Sulhamstead parish council 1 Swanton Morley parish council 3 Tittleshall parish council 1 Tiverton parish council 2 Town council of Frinton and Walton 1 Warfield parish council 1 West Ilsley parish council (the whole council) 6 Westleton parish council 1 Wookey parish council 1 Wysall and Thorpe-in-the-Glebe parish council 3 Unnamed parish in East Suffolk 2 Unnamed parish in Kendal 1 Total 95 There is no requirement for parish councils to inform us of resignations, for whatever reason. There are over 8,000 parish councils in England.