EMBATTLED North Lanarkshire Council has called for openness to be a key feature of the Scottish Parliament, writes Raymond Duncan.

Its submission to the Government - including a reference to ''the proper apparatus of checks and balances'' on the power of the parliament's executive - has come from councillors who last week listened as details emerged of the huge hole in council finances.

In a paper sent by policy and resources committee members to the consultative steering group on the Scottish Parliament dated last Friday, when an external auditor's report on the fiasco went before them, they urged an ''open and consultative style of government''.

The submission also detailed a range of mechanisms that could be introduced to widen access to the policy process.

Ironically, given the North Lanarkshire financial mess, an option proposed is that parliament committees could be required to set up advisory forums such as one on economics.

North Lanarkshire said it would welcome an explicit recognition of the role for local government as partners in the democratic governance of Scotland.

On accountability, North Lanarkshire said it believed this ''key question'' might be addressed at parliamentary level in the same way as at local government level, based on the Nolan Commission and the ''standards of conduct for local government''.