1.These figures cover the period from 10th October 2000 to 18th January 2005.

2. Councillors Crump and Fines have only served for a possible 76 meetings, Barabara Smith for 89 meetings and Jane Pauley for 114 meetings.

3. Councillors Fines and John Smith cannot serve on the planning committee due to a conflict of interest with their membership of South Kesteven District Council and the figures in brackets indicate the number of other meetings missed.

4. Holidays appear to account for an average of between one and four meetings each year.

5. Illness is variable. Councillors Judy Smith, Norma Woolley and Don Fisher have had long periods of ill health but on average this may cause the loss of one or two meetings a year.

6. Councillors are entitled to some social life perhaps causing the loss of say one meeting per year.

7. Some councillors may be able to arrange for their holidays when there are no council meetings but experience has proved that the majority of us do not fall into this category.

8. Councillors do not miss council or committee meetings on a whim; sometimes forces conspire against us.

Compiled from statistics and comment provided
by Councillor John Kirkman 2nd February 2005