Thanks Islay. The resignation because you have made a mistake or things have gone wrong on your watch seems to me to be a throw back to the days when councillors were public spirited volunteers who perhaps got out of pocket expenses only, as a way of thanking them for the hours of voluntary work that they put in. Nobody expected them to be actually competent in all the tasks that councils had to deliver but they were expected to listen to professional advice and if they had any sense they would know exactly what their electorate thought and make sure those issues were thoroughly investigated.

Paying councillors seems to have attracted professional party based politicians where winning political battles by voting for your party line supersedes, nearly said trumps, common sense.

We can't go back but somehow employing local councillors has undermined their value IMO. There is the problem of wanting to have councillors who truly represent all of their constituents and there is a valid argument that volunteering favours the independently wealthy who can afford to take on the job. We need people of ability regardless of wealth and I think we need a different sense of loyalty for local councillors, party politics should not be the priority for candidates.