A COUNCILLOR has called for a new campaign to promote clearer English in official documents.

Weymouth and Portland borough councillor John Birtwistle says Weymouth and Portland Borough Council should apply the North Quay Test' to every paper it produces.

Instead of asking the man on the Clapham Omnibus the ordinary person in North Quay should be able to understand council documents, he says.

Coun Birtwistle has told colleagues that voters feel alienated by the grand and pretentious language used in agendas and planning briefs.

And he said this eroded confidence in council decisions.

He said: "If something impenetrable goes out to the public it's no wonder they think something funny is going on.

"I think a North Quay Test, similar to the Clapham Omnibus test would concentrate the minds of officers a little more."

He made the calls at a meeting of the management committee which was debating a range of issues, including the Greenhill Gardens, the Weymouth Wheel and the council's revenue budget.

He said an agenda description of the new Local Development Framework Core Strategy - the key overarching development plan document in the local development framework' was a prime example.

"I think the problem is cultural and that government at all levels produces reports with obscure language because it sounds authoritative.

"My model for this is Derby City Council who have adopted a manual of plain English.

"I brought it up at a council meeting a couple of years ago and everybody said they would do better.

"In fairness some of the officers take it very seriously and produce clear reports, but some still don't make any sense."

He said fellow councillors agreed a new approach was necessary.

"This should be addressed because we don't want to make the people of Weymouth and Portland feel locked out of the debating process," he said.