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OUR SYSTEM of political funding has damaged standards in public life and contributed to corruption within local authorities and the planning process. For six long years, a succession of official reports and recommendations were largely ignored by government. The latest strictures come from an anti-corruption body within the Council of Europe. It calls for greater financial transparency and criticises the huge gap that exists between disclosed political donations and amounts spent at election time by political parties. It also recommends that those close to power who take advantage of their situation by influencing decision-makers should be guilty of a criminal offence.