Seven Cures for the Opaque Council Syndrome
With Shropshire Council elections looming, and local politicians preparing to limber up their vocal cords for another round of truth-bending gymnastics, I thought it only fair to revisit the sacred art of political lying — in all its elegant forms. So, let’s go back to basics and explore what it really means when someone is “lying through their teeth” in the world of local governance.
Types of Lies: Commission, Omission, and Influence
1. Lie of Commission
Definition: A direct, deliberate falsehood.
Example: Telling someone, “The cheque is in the post,” when in fact the cheque is an imaginary concept — much like councillor accountability.
Use: Bold, brazen, and often reserved for those confident no one will check.
2. Lie of Omission
Definition: Telling the truth… but not the whole truth. Crucial facts are conveniently left out.
Example: A council report proudly announces a budget surplus but fails to mention it was achieved by slashing disabled transport services.
Use: The favourite of spin doctors and minutes-takers alike.
3. Lie of Influence
Definition: A manipulation of context, language, or emphasis to lead someone to a false conclusion — without technically lying.
Example: “Community consultation showed broad support,” when in reality, three people answered the survey — two of whom were related to the councillor.
Use: The darling of press releases, glossy pamphlets, and those who’ve mastered the dark art of plausible deniability.
How It Relates to the Courtroom Oath
The classic courtroom oath — “to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” — is not just a moral imperative; it’s a pre-emptive strike against all three types of lies:
“Tell the truth” – Covers Lies of Commission
This is the bare minimum. You’re expected not to fabricate or misstate facts.
Think: “I never received that planning application,” when you did… and binned it.
“The whole truth” – Covers Lies of Omission
This demands you don’t leave things out. No half-truths. No silence where disclosure is due.
Omitting the crucial bit — say, that the ‘independent expert’ consulted was your brother-in-law — is just as dishonest as lying outright.
“Nothing but the truth” – Covers Lies of Influence
This is the elegant catch-all: don’t twist the narrative, add misleading emphasis, or strategically contextualise facts to nudge perception.
It’s the difference between saying, “the community was consulted,” and admitting the consultation happened at 10am on a Tuesday, in a locked room, during a thunderstorm, with a sign on the door reading “Absolutely No Public Allowed.”
These three phrases are carefully worded to guard against the entire pantheon of porky pies. Conveniently, they’re also everything local councils regularly forget during public inquiries, press briefings, and budget meetings.
Shropshire Case Studies: Lies in Action
1. Lie of Commission
Case Study: Shropshire Council’s Financial Projections
In a 2022 Finance Peer Challenge report, Shropshire Council was found to have overstated its financial challenges, projecting a £50–60 million gap for 2023/24. The peer team concluded that this assessment was overly pessimistic, assuming the discontinuation of vital funding streams without evidence. A direct falsehood that undermined public confidence in the council’s financial management. (Source: Local Government Association)
2. Lie of Omission
Case Study: Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Consultation
In 2011, concerns were raised about Shropshire Council’s lack of transparent consultation regarding the CIL. A resident pointed out that the council failed to adequately inform and involve the community, neglecting government guidelines. By omitting key stakeholder engagement, the public was denied a say in significant policy development. (Source: Shropshire Council)
3. Lie of Influence
Case Study: Intensive Poultry Farming and River Pollution
In November 2024, Shropshire was identified as having more than 20 million chickens in intensive poultry units. While council reports stressed economic benefits, they downplayed ecological risks, especially river pollution from runoff. A textbook case of narrative manipulation steering public perception. (Source: The Guardian)
Seven Gloriously Inconvenient Remedies for Opaque Council Syndrome
So, if you’re tired of being fed policy by PowerPoint and spin by spreadsheet, here are seven gloriously inconvenient remedies for what I call Opaque Council Syndrome:
1. Mandatory Plain Language Policies
Problem: Council reports are often written in jargon that only a planning officer and their cat can decipher.
Solution: Enforce a policy requiring all public-facing communications to use clear, plain English.
Bonus: Introduce a “Buzzword Tax” — every use of terms like “transformative,” “resilience,” or “synergise” costs the department £5 toward a community fund.
2. Independent Minutes Verification
Problem: Council minutes frequently summarise debates so selectively they resemble hallucinated transcripts.
Solution: Require independent observers (journalists, residents, or rotating volunteers) to verify or annotate official minutes before publication.
Irony Meter: Minutes titled “Unanimous Support” followed by an observer’s note: “Two councillors were asleep, one was on mute, and the rest misunderstood the vote.”
3. Live Streaming & Archiving All Meetings
Problem: Decisions affecting thousands are made in rooms that fit twenty — and vanish into unrecorded air.
Solution: All meetings should be live-streamed and archived on a searchable public portal.
Extra: Auto-transcripts with keyword searchability, so when a councillor claims, “I never supported that motion,” the tape tells a different tale.
4. Public Right-to-Reply Mechanism
Problem: Councils love publishing their side of the story but shudder at actual feedback.
Solution: Require major policy documents or press releases to include a two-week community commentary window.
Result: Adds pressure for accuracy and forces officials to consider public knowledge.
5. Cognitive Bias Disclosure
Problem: Councils frame data and surveys to elicit desired responses.
Solution: Require consultations to disclose:
- Who drafted the questions
- What assumptions underpin the policy
- Which stakeholders were consulted beforehand
Ideal Outcome: Exposure of “consultations” that already had the answer before the question was asked.
6. Council Whistleblower Network
Problem: Honest employees often stay silent for fear of reprisal.
Solution: Establish protected, anonymous whistleblower channels, overseen by a third party.
Glorious Outcome: Revelatory leaks of “off the record” sentiments like, “We knew it wouldn’t work but passed it anyway.”
7. Citizen-Led Transparency Panels
Problem: Scrutiny panels often consist of councillors scrutinising their own party colleagues.
Solution: Create citizen panels drawn by lot — like juries — to review key council decisions and how they were communicated.
Irony Bonus: Watching power squirm under the calm, relentless eye of ordinary residents with no party line to toe.
