If a Parish Councillor falsifies his DPI form will the Police Prosecute

Question

If a Parish councillor only declares his employment on his DPI form as Localism Bill when the Monitoring officer threatens him with Police Action, Is this still a criminal offence and subject to prosecution?

Answer 1

It is very hard to say, since we have so little experience of the new regulations.  My personal opinion is that the police will be reluctant to become involved with local councils unless the issue is extremely clear.  Then, there is a question over how much enthusiasm the Crown Prosecution Service will have for pursuing any such prosecution.  Again, unless the issue is clear, it may be deemed that the prospect of conviction is poor.  It seems to me that doubts over when and whether prosecution will occur are the weakness in the new regime.  But I emphasise that this is merely a personal opinion by an unqualified person!