THE Greens on Lancaster City Council want to change the official Code of Conduct - to put a councillor's duty to the public back in the front line.

It follows Councillor Gina Dowding's three month suspension for breaching the code.

Cllr Dowding believes she was acting in the public interest when she informed the press about a secret decision by the council's Cabinet to give financial support to nuclear company British Energy.

However, at a tribunal, she was told that 'acting in the public interest is not a valid defence'.

At a meeting of the council's standards committee tomorrow (Friday), Green Group leader Cllr Emily Heath will be proposing an addition to the Code of Conduct to make it clear that 'members must have regard to the interests of the whole community'.

Cllr Heath says: "Cllr Dowding has been overwhelmed with messages of support from the public since her suspension earlier this month, so there is clearly a strong feeling locally that councillors should be able to speak out when they are concerned that the council might be doing something unlawful or detrimental to the public interest.

"We hope that there will also be strong support for changing our members' Code of Conduct to reflect this, and we will be encouraging other councils across the country to do the same."