In light of the recent revelations about MP"s expenses we are only now, fully aware of the true extent that certain members have had their heads in the trough.

I saw Sir Teddy Taylor on Sky News this morning and he claimed that his colleagues had informed him that the abuse of the system, although unacceptable in the UK was far worse in the European Parliament.

In light of these revelations should we be more inquisitive of "our" locally elected councillors.

There were questions raised prior to this expose about our East Renfrewshire"s councillor"s expenses, and a request to make them public.

Whilst I do not think that the scale of these expenses would be any where near the levels that have been claimed by certain MP"s, we should be made aware with regards to what our councillors claim.

This is tax payer"s money and councillors should be accountable, although I think that we should take this further and ask what they actually do for our money.

Many Councillors work very hard on our behalf, however I do have reservations about a few who do always appear to be present in photo shoots at the opening of an envelope.

Should we not be asking how well they interact with their residents, do they reflect our views when it comes to voting.

Do they regularly attend meetings with the public to canvas their opinions on local matters, like Community Council or Tenants and Residents Meetings.

What do their attendance records show, and what is their voting record on our behalf.

Every other workers performance is scrutinised, and so should Councillors who actually receive remuneration from the public purse.