An attempt to make Trowbridge town councillors more accountable "fell flat on its face" this week, according to a town councillor. 

Councillor Antonio Piazza tabled a motion at Tuesday's town council meeting that called for portfolio holders to the council, in the same way Wiltshire Council does, for example. 

Cllr Piazza argued that portfolio holders "often make a valuable contribution to the implementation of policy through executive decision making, offering political direction and support to officers working within the Portfolio".

He said they also provide local communities with "much-needed leadership, accountability, and representation to their specific Portfolio".

Unfortunately for Cllr Piazza, none of his fellow 20 councillors agreed with him, with the motion receiving no other votes. 

Cllr Piazza further argued that through introducing the roles, Trowbridge Town Council would be the first parish council in Wiltshire to be more democratically accountable to its residents.

His motion read: "Councillors will assume responsibility for certain areas of the Council. Trowbridge has now moved to a point where it needs to adapt to modern times.

"We have two choices here tonight, we can wait for central government to introduce new legislation in decades, making parish councils more accountable for their actions, or actually take hold of our destiny and offer the electorate real democratic leadership at this level of government, the one closest to the community we serve and represent."

He wanted four default portfolios: leader, finance, environment, and staff matters - appointed as necessary by the town council at the annual meeting. 

In their response, the town clerk said that town and parish councils cannot delegate executive responsibility to any individual councillor and work either on the basis of decisions being taken by the whole council or by delegation from the whole council to a committee.

Trowbridge Town Council works on the basis of this committee system and each committee appoints a chair. At each Full Council meeting, if that committee has met since the last meeting then there is an opportunity to ask the chair of the committee questions.

Reports to committees are made by officers and recommendations within those reports are made by officers.

The clerk added: "I would therefore suggest that, at Trowbridge Town Council, the Leader is responsible in the same way as a portfolio holder for finance, policy and staffing would, the Chair of the Museum Committee is responsible in the same way as portfolio holder for cultural services, the Chair of the Leisure and information Services Committee is responsible in the same way as a Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Information Services.

"It may therefore be considered confusing to have portfolio holders and committee chairs."