COUNCIL bosses are embarking on a multi-agency exercise aimed at reducing the opacity of municipal information resource materials. Confused? So are they.

In a bid to end the practice of clogging up important documents with impenetrable language that neither they or the public understands, town hall leaders are turning “jargon busters” in a bid to put plain English back on the agenda.

And, in a sign the action could not come a moment sooner, the report in which the recommendation featured contained 117 uses of words on the banned list of confusing language from the Local Government Association (LGA). The recommendation itself contained three.

As part of the effort to bring the “jargonauts” back down to earth, the council is considering sending senior officers on courses to help them rediscover the benefits of plain-speaking.

Another option is to change senior officer job titles so it is easier for the public and other council employees to understand what they do all day.

It is hoped that straight-talking will encourage more people to get involved in local politics.

The council’s recommendation expressed this as saying that “engaging with its customers would promote inclusivity.”

Liverpool council’s executive member for ethical governance (see what we mean?) Cllr Paula Keaveny said she was rolling out a “five-point plain English plan” which would see the council “do away with acronyms, jargon, council-speak and gobbledegook”, ensure all council documents are written in plain English before they are released, and strive to achieve the Plain English Campaign’s Crystal Mark for Clarity.

Cllr Keaveney said the term “going forward” was one of her greatest bugbears.

She added: “It’s one of those where if you remove those two words from the end of the sentence, it will still be the same.