Tougher measures to control the conduct of councillors and mayors in England are being planned by the government. They will include mandatory codes of conduct and standards committees on every council and combined authority, and the power to suspend or even disqualify elected members and withhold allowances.
“The public rightly demand its representatives act in their best interests, and that those who do not meet the high standards of public office expected should be held to account and appropriately sanctioned,” said Alison McGovern, Minister for Local Government and Homelessness.
The plans follow a consultation, which is now complete, and will be introduced into law as soon as parliamentary time allows, said Ms McGovern.
All local authorities from parish councils to mayoral combined authorities, like those covering the North East and Tees Valley will be affected.
Reforms to affect all tiers of local government
Ms McGovern added: “The reforms aim to ensure misconduct is dealt with swiftly and fairly across the country in every type and tier of local government … We want to ensure that local government is empowered, fully accountable and deserving of people’s trust and confidence.
“We want local and regional government in England to attract and retain the best possible talent, and for county, town and city halls across the country to promote fair and reasonable democratic discourse, without slipping into cultures which are toxic and intimidating. There will always be room for strongly held beliefs to be represented, tested and debated, with decency and respectful behaviours and conduct.
“Of note amongst the consultation responses was testimony received from those who highlighted the personal distress persistent bullying and harassment can cause for elected members and officers alike, particularly as the current regime offers no real prospect of perpetrators being properly held to account.
“In response, our reforms will put victims of elected member misconduct at the centre of the system by providing a right to appeal standards decisions and ensure that both complainants and respondents are supported throughout the process of code of conduct investigations. We also want to ensure that those complained about are given fair opportunity to make representations and that due process is in place throughout the course of complaints being considered.
“Frustration with the lack of meaningful sanctions and safeguards, even when elected members are under police investigation or carry out repeated breaches, was also clearly apparent amongst respondents. For a standards regime to be fit for purpose it must provide both appropriate safeguards and sanctions.”
The current regime, said a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, requires every local authority to adopt a code of conduct, the contents of which must, as a minimum, be consistent with the 7 ‘Nolan’ principles of standards in public life (selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership), and set out rules on requiring members to register and disclose pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests. Beyond these requirements, it is for individual councils to set their own local code.
The seven principles of public life: The Nolan Principles
