BEFORE Labour lost control in October, the council had been criticised by many inside and outside the authority who were concerned by what they saw as a lack of openness.

It wasn’t surprising, therefore, that opposition councillors who had expressed frustration at the issue should make strong demands for decision-making to be more democratic. They drew up a “wish list” of 12 changes to council rules and it is good to see that some of those demands have been met.

We agree that elected members from all parties should have the opportunity to represent their constituents fully and that decisions being made behind closed doors did not help.

We also believe that matters involving substantial amounts of public money should be decided in public by elected representatives, rather than quietly crossing an officer’s desk.

New council leader Dafydd Williams says since taking over as leader he has shown a serious commitment to openness and transparency.

We would also encourage further moves towards openness as something that is essential in order for voters to have confidence in their local authority.