Mayor bids for more council openness

Vincent mayor John Carey says Perth councils should be more transparent "across the board" as he pushes ahead with plans to introduce a developer register at the inner-city authority.

The City of Vincent will vote tonight on a proposal that would require councillors to record any interactions, including meetings, phone calls and emails, with developers on a public register.

The move was first flagged by _The West Australian _in January.

"This (developer register) policy will be the first we understand of any local government in Western Australia and we think this is real reform," Mr Carey said.

"In some ways we feel the Department of Local Government and the WA Government have been asleep at the wheel because the whole fixation has been about boundaries. Real reform is about increased governance, transparency and accountability. This is, we believe, an example that should be applied to local governments across the board."

Mr Carey said he had no concerns about corruption in Vincent but the register was intended to avoid innuendo or any perception of developer influence on council decisions.