We all look up the Chairman. Flamboyant thespian he may be, but courtesy is vital in local government and the Chairman is the most important figure. He has to preside over council meetings. He has to be a cross between an angel and a monarch. In fact I can picture him in a crown. Or a tiara. But now, it is suggested, his regal wings are about to be singed by that austere body the Standards Board of England. I am all too familiar with the Standards Board, having given evidence in a case all too familiar to me – and perhaps also to you. The Standards Board can rap knuckles if a councillor ever loses his or her temper. Think what they can do if serious allegations of misusing official expenses are proven. The Chairman is accused of siphoning off expenses for his own purposes. The Chairman has a reputation for liking the limelight and the luxuries that go with it. And, for once, the Chairman’s long friendship with the Chief Executive may do him no favours. I wish him a fair trial. But he must be ready for a swift execution. That’s what happened to Mary Queen of Scots. Errant queens, even skatboarding ones, are skating on thin ice this time.
