Parish saints and sinners

A year-long survey of official meetings of Saddleworth Parish Council has revealed attendance saints and sinners among councillors.

Only six of the 20 members showed up to all 11 full council meetings over the year, while eight recorded single figure attendance. Councillor Lesley Schofield made only two appearances at full council meetings in the year to May.

Councillor Graham Sheldon - parish council chairman over the period - was the only one who went to all the full council meetings. Councillor Neil Allsopp - currently the parish council’s deputy chairman - came second: he went to all but one meeting of the committees he served.

The results were revealed in a Freedom of Information request to the parish clerk, Tony Marlor.

Responding to the survey, Councillor Bill Cullen, consort to the council’s current chair, said: “Ticking attendance at meetings is a very simplistic way of judging a parish councillors effectiveness as a councillor. Much of the work is done between meetings

“Some councillors have other commitments that can make it very difficult to choose where they allocate their time.”