I would like to respond to the statement that 'the Standards Board ought to be abolished' due to the number of 'petty personal vendettas between councillors' (Opinion, June 2).
We receive over 300 complaints a month, mainly from members of the public, who feel they have been let down by their elected representatives. Only a third of the complaints we receive are from councillors. We continually stress that vexatious, politically-motivated and tit-for-tat allegations are not tolerated and we work hard to weed out such complaints at the very outset. We agree that it is not acceptable to abuse the system in this way and members must also assume some responsibility for this.
While the vast majority of members act out of the best motives to serve their communities, a small number do act out of self-interest. It is therefore important to have a system in place to call these members to account for their actions.
Sir Anthony Holland, chair, the Standards Board for England, Cottons Lane, London.
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