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Cheshire East publishes the attendance records of councillors - something the old Borough Council never did. It's a policy which has advantages, but also drawbacks.

Of course, we should be told whether councillors attend the meetings they're meant to attend BUT there are possible drawbacks :

1. Councillors can miss meetings through illness, clashes with other commitments etc which can create a false impression;
2. A lot of a councillor's work can be done away from meetings - taking up local and individual casework, keeping in touch with voters etc. This work cannot be assessed easily.
3. Who is doing the better job? Somebody who turns up to every meeting, but never says a word and just sticks their hand up when told to by the whips? Or somebody who attends fewer meetings, but asks important questions when there?

Anyway, setting those drawbacks aside I DO feel that attendance at meetings IS important. After all, the right to attend and vote at meetings is the main point of being a councillor and so - with all relevant health warnings - how have Crewe's twelve councillors done over the past six months?

Step forward, and top marks to Councillors Terry Beard (19/19 = 100%) and Roy Cartlidge (12/12 = 100%) for their perfect attendance records.

Close behind - missing just a single meeting - David Cannon (11/12 = 92%) and Peggy Martin (7/8 = 88%).

Pretty good - missing just two meetings each - Jackie Weatherill (12/14 86%), John Jones (11/13 85%), and Steve Conquest (6/8 75%). Dorothy Flude had a heavier workload, her 14/18 record gives a percentage of 78%.

So that's eight of the twelve councillors accounted for - all attending at least three-quarters of their meetings.

That leaves four councillors. All missed at least a third of their booked meetings; two attended under half their meetings. I'm not going to name them - you can check their records on www.cheshireeast.gov.uk under councillors. The reason I'm not naming them is that they may have good reasons - illness perhaps. BUT if I was one of their constituents, perhaps I would be asking them to explain their attendance records ... and pondering whether to support them in future elections if there aren't signs of improvement .....