The expectation of how much transparency should be expected of elected officials is a debate happening not only nationally, but also here in Havering.
In Havering, residents can learn more about councillors via the register of interests, which is a form each elected official must fill out declaring things like their employment or any land they own.
One question relates specifically to if councillors should be declaring their full home address, or if mention of their ward is enough.
Cllr David Taylor (St Edward's, Con) is one example of a local politician preferring only to publish their ward, saying he thinks including home addresses is “a step too far”.
“I know councillors who have been targets of burglary, public abuse, and threats," he said. "I’ve personally received strange letters in the post.
“My residents need to know if I’m local. They don’t need to know the colour of my curtains.”
Instead, he believes councillors’ pay is an area which needs greater transparency.
"The council publish our ‘allowance total’, but that’s too vague and doesn’t tell half the story,” he told the Recorder.
Others disagree. Cllr Brian Eagling, for example, told this paper the disclosure of home addresses is an important part of council transparency.
“You can’t hide anything if you are going into local politics,” he said.
Cllr Sue Ospreay, meanwhile, included no information on her register of interests, opting to leave the entire document blank.
She said she was told by Havering Council that certain things, such as running a local drama group, were not relevant.
Cllr Ospreay added she has no objection to her phone number being displayed on the council’s website: “I think we should be allowed a certain amount of privacy, but you are a public figure at the end of the day.”
What must councillors declare?
Councillors have to fill out the register of interests upon being elected, with Havering Council saying it provides support and training on how to do this properly.
As well as land owned and employment, the document also covers responsibilities like charitable bodies the councillor belongs to, trade unions membership, and any gifts or donations received.
On the publishing of home addresses specifically, a spokesperson for Havering Council said following the murder of the former Southend MP David Amess, many local authorities reviewed practices around publishing such details.
“In Havering, we have offered members the option of removing their addresses from the register or simply providing a postcode,” the spokesperson said.
They added: “We provide support and training to councillors on the completion of the register of interests and ask whether they wish their home address to be included on the published register.”
Your views – are councillors visible enough?
We took to the streets of Havering to ask residents about another key part of council transparency; whether their local councillors are visible enough in the community.
Indie Man
Indie Man, 51, said he has “no idea” who his local councillors are or what their initiatives have been.
“We don’t get reports on the money we spent, etcetera,” he added.
Services the council provide have also become less visible, he believes.
“In terms of maintaining the street, etcetera, we used to have an everyday road sweeper who sadly got ill, but I don’t think they replaced him. Now a team only come once a week, whereas before it was daily.”
Prakash Patel
In contrast to Indie, Prakash Patel, 47, said he finds the council “easy to contact” and that councillors are often out in the local area.
“They are helpful with handing out information and maintaining the street,” he said, adding: "They are doing good in the community, helping and overall, the council are transparent because there many ethnicities in the community and they help everyone to work together.”
Ben Nunn
Ben Nunn, 40, said he has been having ongoing issues regarding speaking to and working with local councillors.
Part of the issue is what he deems to be a lack of visibility of local councillors, he said.
“They need to get out in the streets and shops and talk to local people now and if they did that, they could see what needs to be done rather than spending money on other stuff."
He added: “I didn’t even try to contact them but if I needed to get through to them, I wouldn’t even know who to call first."
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