BOURNEMOUTH’S council leader rejected a suggestion the authority should publish yearly public notices on councillors’ attendance at meetings.

John Beesley said the suggestion from Labour’s Dennis Gritt, made at the April full council meeting, would not generate any “real benefit.”

He said: “The information is supplied to group leaders in the form of spreadsheets. Adapting that information would inevitably result in the need for a large public notice to be prepared which could attract a significant publication cost.

“I am also of the opinion that the majority of residents in the town are not really interested in the number of meetings attended by councillors at the town hall.

“It is my experience that residents are more concerned with the community role performed by councillors. Residents want their ward councillors to be easily accessible and able to deal with their issues.”