Champagne corks popped as the Government reacted to the small response to a public survey about councillor standards. It has bowed to pressure to provide for councils to suspend councillors for up to six months for misbehaviour. Giving in to such pressure is strange as the secretary of state noted it is only a minority of councillors that ‘misbehave'.
So why the nuclear option rather than a nuanced and sophisticated approach? It wouldn't have satisfied the most vocal and vociferous demands for being able to kick councillors off the council, that's why.
