THE parish council representing Aiskew and Leeming Bar has been plunged into crisis over reforms being introduced nationally by the Government.

By July, all seven members will have either resigned or been barred from holding office because they are refusing to sign up to a new code of conduct arising from the 2000 Local Government Act.

They are angry about the introduction for the first time of a publicly available register of members' interests which will include details of financial affairs, employers, membership of organisations and gifts of over £25 received while performing council duty.

Parish councillors insist that they have no objection to the code of conduct generally, but maintain that the register is unnecessary and heavy-handed because they are unpaid, their powers are limited and the amounts of public money they handle are small compared with county and district authorities.

The new measure was called insulting last month by council chairman Coun Terry Noyes, who was the first to announce that he would rather resign than comply. Town and parish councils are expected to adopt the new anti-sleaze code by May 5 and members face disqualification if, after two months, they have not signed a declaration saying they will abide by it.

Coun Noyes said this week that over the coming months he would be among six members to resign in protest. The seventh had decided not to resign but to wait until he was declared ineligible to serve in July.

Coun Noyes said the idea of six simultaneous resignations at the annual council meeting in May had been ruled out because the council would effectively have ceased to exist. A quorum of three was needed to enable a meeting to take place.

Resignations would be phased in while attempts were made to find replacement councillors, mainly through the parish newsletter due to be distributed in the next few weeks.

Coun Noyes said: "We can see why this measure is necessary at Westminster and at county and district level, but parish councillors take no allowances, pay for their own telephone calls and stationery and don't let any contracts except for grass cutting and taking on handymen.

"We don't object to the new code because it is basically what we are doing already, but the register is considered far too demanding and totally unnecessary at this level. The Government has created a ridiculous situation.

"We have got nothing to hide. This is a point of principle. We have got a chance for the first time since I joined the council to make a difference in this parish and now this comes along."

Ian Strong, secretary of the Yorkshire Local Councils' Association, said: "It is a shame the parish council has decided to do this and it is the first such case I know of.

" We sent two advice notes to parish councils about the code and the register, which is something new and slightly different. We have not ironed out all the problems but are continuing to talk to our lawyers."

Martyn Richards, head of legal services at Hambleton council, said: "We have some sympathy for the parish council views but it is something which has to be applied."

l Leading article: page 20.