COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL
GOVERNMENT News Release (263) issued by The Government News Network
on 3 January 2008
Greater powers
will be devolved to local authorities to enforce high standards of
conduct for local councillors through innovative proposals
published for consultation by Local Government Minister John
Healey today.
If implemented, under the reformed regime, standards committees
will make initial assessments of all misconduct allegations
against councillors. The maximum sanctions committees could
impose will also increase, from a three-month partial or total
suspension from office, to six months.
Standards committees will also be able to refer more serious
cases to the Adjudication Panel for England, which would see the
range of sanctions available to it increased, to reflect the
sanctions already available to standards committees.
The Standards Board for England would also see its remit change
from the investigation of misconduct allegations to the provision
of support and guidance to standards committees to assist them in
their new initial assessment role.
In 2005, the Committee on Standards in Public Life conducted a
major review of the ethical regime for councillors, and
recommended that decision-making on allegations of misconduct
should be devolved as much as possible to the local level.
Local Government Minister John Healey said:
"Councils are best-placed to maintain and improve high
ethical standards by their members: That is why these proposals
have been designed to devolve power to local authorities, through
reformed standards committees, and to ensure committees receive
the necessary support and guidance from the Standards Board.
"These proposals deliver our commitment to introduce a more
proportionate and locally based regime for the investigation and
determination of all but the most serious of misconduct
allegations against local councillors."
The Standards Board will provide support and guidance to
standards committees to maintain consistency of standards of
decision-making across the country.
Subject to consultation, the new regime could be implemented in
April next year at the earliest.
Notes to Editors
1. The consultation runs until 15 February, 2008. A copy of the
consultation paper, which is being circulated to all local
authorities in England, can be found at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/laconduct
2. In 2005, the Committee on Standards in Public Life argued that
to guarantee high standards of conduct by councillors,
decision-making on allegations of misconduct should be devolved as
much as possible to the local level.
3. The Government responded to this by giving a commitment to the
introduction of a more locally based system for handling
allegations of misconduct in our 2006 White Paper, Strong and
Prosperous Communities, and including provisions to implement a
new, reformed ethical regime for local councillors in Part 10 of
the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act this
year. We are now consulting on the regulations and orders needed
to provide the detailed rules on how the new regime will work in practice.
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