PUBLIC STATEMENTS BY COUNCIL CHIEF EXECUTIVES

That this House notes the growing tendency of some local authority chief executives to make public statements on politically contentious matters such as the possible restructuring of their own council area from two tiers into one; notes that in these circumstances they may have a direct financial interest either as a candidate for a newly created chief executive post in any new authority or as the recipient of a very significant redundancy pay off in the event of an unsuccessful application; believes that senior paid officials of councils should be wary of crossing the line into party politics; and calls on the Government to issue guidelines to local authority chief executives on how they should conduct themselves in respect of their public statements when controversial restructuring proposals are under debate.