The activities of anyone elected to serve the people, be it as an MP or a parish councillor, must be transparent and open to scrutiny.

Those who have the commitment to step forward for such vital roles should clearly understand the reasons behind the need for them to be squeaky clean.

Parish councillors throughout the area have mixed views on the impact of the Local Government Act of 2000, under which they have to declare any financial and business interests.

Some of them welcome the move as a way of bringing transparency to the lowest tier of local government. Others, as we reported last week, view it as an invasion of privacy that unpaid councillors should not be subjected to.

The act says parish councils must establish a code of conduct which includes declaring any financial interests such as share holdings and any land ownership.

The aim is to open up any private interests to public scrutiny, to ensure that councillors do not have a conflict of interests and can be held accountable for their decisions.

As plans to devolve more powers gather pace it is imperative that these safeguards for both the public and the councillors are put in place.

It would be sad if, as some predict, parish councillors leave in droves because of this issue. But if they do go then so be it.

For whatever reason, the general impression is that this

country is wallowing in a culture of suspicion, lack of trust and a general apathy concerning anything connected with government/politics at all levels.

Restoring trust and belief must be put at the top of the agenda to reverse this view.

If it takes a sledgehammer to crack that nut, then those who care about democracy should put their weight behind it. The act is not a case of rooting out retrospective skeletons in anyone's cupboards. It is a case of bringing governance up to date at all levels.