Crackdown on naughty councillors
ETHICAL STANDARDS REVIEW RECOMMENDS SUSPENSION TO PUNISH REPEAT OFFENDERS
BADLY-BEHAVED councillors could be suspended without pay by their town halls under new proposals.
A review of ethical standards across local government says councils need more robust powers to address serious or repeated misconduct.
The lack of punitive options currently available is undermining public confidence in the system, the report adds.
More stringent rules around how elected members declare interests, gifts and hospitality are also included in the recommendations.
Concerns have been voiced in recent years by at least one GM authority that reforms to the standards regime in 2012 have left them ‘toothless’ in dealing with repeat offenders among their elected ranks.
Under the previous guidelines, councillors could be suspended for up to six months and were subject to a nationally imposed code of conduct.
Responsibility was passed over to individual town halls under the Localism Act 2011, but sanctions had to stop short of suspensions.
The new recommendations – from central government’s committee on standards in public life – has advised alleged conduct breaches should continue to be dealt with on a local level, but the power of suspension for up to six months without allowances should be included.
They will reignite the debate, however, on whether councils having suspension powers poses a risk to the democratic process.
Chairman of the committee, Lord Evans, said: “The evidence we received supports the view that the vast majority of councillors and officers maintain high standards of conduct.
“There is, however, clear evidence of misconduct by some councillors. Most of these cases relate to bullying or harassment, or other disruptive behaviour.
“There is also evidence of persistent or repeated misconduct by a minority of councillors. Introducing a power of suspension and a model code of conduct will enable councillors to be held to account for the most serious or repeated breaches and support officers to address such behaviour.”
Handing the power of suspension to town halls has received a cautious welcome for those who are wary of suspensions undermining the democratic process.orter,