DARLINGTON councillors are suspected of not being completely squeaky clean when it comes to filling in a public register of their outside interests.

Peter Kearsley, borough solicitor and monitoring officer, has asked the council's standards committee to write to everyone urging them to review their individual entries.

He told Monday's meeting that he had carried out a six-month review of the 53 elected members.

Twenty-eight had included political parties under the section referring to membership of, or position of general control or management in, any body whose principal purposes included the influence of public opinion or policy.

"It follows that 25 members have not done so. It is my view that political parties should be included in entries submitted by members and the body of opinion nationally supports that view."

Only 17 members had listed charities. "That appears to be a fairly low proportion, if it is an accurate return, bearing in mind that membership of the RSPB or the National Trust would fall within this category..

"Indeed, membership of the Freemasons should also be included and no such entries have been received.

"It is the clear advice now of the Standards Board for England that membership of a masonic lodge should be entered as membership of a charity in the register."

Only nine members had altered their details in the last six months, a fairly low figure bearing in mind that a change of home address or job should be recorded with a revised entry.

Registering financial and other interests and making them public was a legal requirement.

If members failed under the code of conduct to declare personal interests on an agenda item at council meetings, it could have further consequences.

Apart from their personal liability to action by way of a complaint to the Standards Board for England, there was also a possibility that any decision made by the body on which they were sitting could be invalidated.