PUBLIC outrage and calls for resignations have followed revelations that a county council has failed to have criminal records checks carried out on councillors more than a year after it vowed to do so. In April 2006, Denbighshire County Council adopted a policy forcing all councillors to have enhanced Criminal Records Bureau checks performed. The process was to have been completed in September 2006 but the Visitor has discovered that out of 47 councillors, only 33 have been cleared by the bureau. Three are currently being processed and 11 councillors have so far failed to complete and return their forms. Cllr Glyn Williams, who represents Rhyl South West, originally proposed the measures. He condemned the failings and delays. “It is an absolute disgrace, we passed this resolution and there is a good reason behind it,” he said. “Councillors are privileged and all sorts of people come to us for help. They are all in a vulnerable position one way or another. “The least we could do as county councillors is show people we have a clean sheet and the public should feel safe in the knowledge that we have all had an enhanced CRB check.” “These people should not be councillors. They are not able to function correctly as councillors. Who the hell do they think they are!” Cllr Williams is not the first to be shocked at the lack of progress completing the checks. Rhyl resident Jeffrey Ditchfield has made repeated requests to Denbighshire for information on the progress of the policy. “I really want to know why the council cannot check its own councillors, but they check everyone else,” he said. “The people who implemented this policy do not follow it themselves. “I think the public of Denbighshire are entitled to know that their county councillors are trustworthy.” Since June 2006, Mr Ditchfield has sent five Freedom of Information requests which relate to the checks, to Denbighshire Council but has yet to receive a satisfactory reply. Mr Ditchfield’s request asked: How many county councillors have criminal convictions? How many county councillors are on the list of Sex Offenders? How many councillors are barred from working with children? How many councillors are on list 99 – barred from working in the education system? A council spokesman confirmed that since the Visitor’s original enquiry on Thursday, all the members concerned have since been contacted by the authority so their applications can be processed. In one of these cases the member is already CRB cleared through another organisation. He also sought to reassure residents: “Until checks are completed and returned by the Criminal Records Bureau those councillors with applications still in progress will not have unsupervised access to children or vulnerable people.” A list of the councillors who had not yet been subject to an enhanced CRB check was not available. david.rutland | 
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