A Watford councillor has published her diary in a bid to persuade the town's mayor to do the same.

At a meeting of Watford Borough Council last week, Councillor Amanda Grimston asked Mayor Dorothy Thornhill whether she would publish details of meetings and appointments in her civic diary.

Her request, however, was turned down.

Councillor Grimston, who represents residents in Leggatts ward, has now revealed her own schedule, which she said shows a “regular week”.

She said: “As well as juggling a community health care job, two teenage kids, a husband, two dogs and an elderly father just out of hospital, I try to do my best for the residents of Leggatts.

“When elected I promised to be available by phone from 7am till midnight every day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. This diary shows a regular week.”

According to her diary, on Monday, November 15, the mother-of-two attended a meeting with a council officer about parking, spent an hour making telephone calls and emails as part of her casework and then attended a residents' community empowerment meeting.

The following day, she spent two hours on the telephone discussing community projects before a meeting with another Leggatts councillor, Steve Johnson, later that evening.

She made more phone calls on the morning of Wednesday, November 17, and then attended a Conservative group meeting ahead of a full council meeting, at which she asked the question about the mayor's diary.

Last Thursday, Councillor Grimston made emails and telephone calls on behalf of residents for one hour. She then attended the council's call in and performance scrutiny committee meeting before joining Watford MP Richard Harrington at the opening of a new restaurant in north Watford.

Finally, on Friday, November 19, the councillor, who was first elected in 2007, held three meetings with residents, visited a garage about parking problems and also met with police officers to discuss youth issues.

Councillor Grimston added: “I receive a £7,209 council allowance while Mayor Thornhill is paid £63,291 plus expenses. The Mayor said it is impossible to publish her diary or to update us on what she does in her full-time position. This diary took five minutes to write out.”

Mayor Thornhill, however, said she was “sticking to my guns”.

“I tweet [on Twitter], I blog, I've got a Facebook page and I do a mayor's report. I believe I do as much than any other elected representative [to inform people what I'm doing], if not more.

“If I understood their [the Conservatives'] issue, I would help them understand my role but I don't know a single politician who publishes their diary.”