A KEIGHLEY councillor is pushing for stricter rules to ensure town, parish and district councillors represent their communities properly.

Councillor Michael Westerman, while addressing the latest meeting of Keighley Town Council, said he wanted a change to the "six-month rule".

This says councillors are automatically disqualified from their role if they fail to attend any meeting of their council for six months, unless their council has approved their reason for absence before the end of the six month period.

Cllr Westerman said he would like this six month allowance to be brought down to three months, to encourage better participation by councillors.

"At the moment a councillor can claim their allowance by only turning up once every six months to any council meeting – that includes committee meetings of the council, as well as full council meetings," he added.

"They can even just turn up as an observer at a committee meeting.

"I want this rule to be changed and brought down to three months instead, because at the moment it isn't fair to other councillors who do attend meetings.

"I'll be raising this at the next Yorkshire Local Council Association meeting, and I'd like to take it to the National Association of Local Councils, which would then put it before a Government minister."

Speaking after the town council meeting, Cllr Westerman said: "Councillors should be active, and if they are not being active and are not prepared to do the work they shouldn't be getting their money.

"The people who are meant to be represented by councillors are being let down, which is why I want a change in the law."