Watchdog warns that inappropriate member conduct not dealt with effectively

There is a “significant risk” under current arrangements that inappropriate conduct by local authority members will not be dealt with effectively, eroding public confidence and trust in local government, the Committee for Standards in Public Life (CSPL) has warned.

In its annual report for 2013/14, which was published last month and can be viewed here, the CSPL said: “In contrast to the recent public debate on parliamentary standards calling for greater sanctions, tightening of codes of conduct, and a greater independent element, local government is now largely self regulated with no systematic approach to conduct issues and limited sanctions”.

The committee called on the Local Government Association to support strong long leadership and continue to use its peer challenge process to offer sector led improvement in this area.

“We believe the LGA has a major responsibility to provide the leadership and peer support across the sector to ensure that all councils and councillors live up to the public’s expectations of high standards of ethical behaviour in those whom they elect,” it said.

The CSPL said its survey of local authorities’ approach to induction and training for newly elected councillors had produced positive results.

However, the committee added that it “remains alert to the challenges to ethical standards arising from financial constraints and changes to the local authority standards regime”.

It said it would continue to monitor provision of induction programmes and the profile of standards, conduct and ethical behaviour within those programmes by repeating its survey next year.