THE new Labour administration and its 'amazing overwhelming majority' has promised an era of open and honest government to shine a democratic light through the dark corridors of power.

This is a move which, in this secretive, little nation we live, must be wholeheartedly welcomed.

In fact, the language used by new Labour's host of sincere and earnest MPs echoes those of our own Stanley Henig (pictured) on becoming council leader after years of Tory rule at Lancaster Town Hall.

Promised a new dawn of honest politics, assembled journalists were seduced by Cllr Henig's vision of democratic renewal, accountability, openness and a contract of trust with the people.

This new glasnost, it was inferred, would woo the Lancaster and Morecambe public into taking more of an interest in local government, maybe even tempting a few curious punters to attend the odd committee meeting.

No such luck. A few years on and most people are as disinterested as they have ever been, the party whip cracks as hard as it ever has and the goings on at the Town Hall remain shrouded in mystery.

"What's happened with the Town Clerk?" is a question we newspaper folk have been asked by many local people recently. Our honest reply, "We don't know," but as journalists with a concern for the public interest we have endeavoured to find out.

We contacted councillors and they told us "don't know" or "I'm not permitted to say."

We tried friendly council employees who replied "We hoped you could tell us. We haven't heard a thing."

People close to the council shrugged their shoulders, others relayed rumours and gossip but no one had a definitive answer.

What we did have, of course, was the official statement issued by Cllr Henig and John Burrows. Allow me to summarise what it said.

Cllr Henig: "John has been a great Town Clerk."

John Burrows: "Its been great being Town Clerk."

All very well and good except that it fails to explain why the Town Clerk cleared his desk and was gone in the blinking of an eye. Further statements from the Ministry of Information revealed that the married father-of-two decided that his £70,000 a year job as Town Clerk was, in fact, surplus to requirements and the best thing he could do was to make himself voluntarily redundant.

Hmm? Thanks to Cllr Henig's honest and open government we now know Mr Burrows was in fact a closet eco-warrior disgusted with capitalist excess and destined for a murky tunnel under the nearest bypass. (Solicitors and right thinking members of society please note - that last sentence should be classified under 'sardonic comment')

We dispatched a newshound to face Citizen Henig directly. We had to wait while he addressed a meeting of councillors to discuss the new management structure away from the public's prying eyes. We did think it a little strange that the council's decision had been faxed to our office before the elected members had even taken their seats but such is the efficiency of Cllr Henig's democratic renewal! Finally, the Leader of the Council paused momentarily to permit us a few questions.

He expressed surprise at so much interest in something as mundane and unimportant as management restructuring.

"What about the Town Clerk?" we asked.

"You do know your newspaper law don't you?" was his immediate response.

Yes we do Cllr Henig. It was obviously your desire to uphold virtues of openness and accountability that prompted you to express your concern.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.