Standards Committee

On this page you'll find the general work of the Standards Committee and transparency of decision making in the council.

About the Standards Committee

Under section 53 of the Local Government Act 2000, every Council must have a Standards Committee.  The aim is to promote high standards of ethical conduct among elected councillors, independent and co-opted members.  From 8 May 2008 the responsibility for considering any complaint that a member has breached the Members Code of Conduct became the responsibility of the Council’s Standards Committee.

What the Standards Committee does

Functions of the Standards Commission include promotion of high standards of conduct amongst our local politicians, monitor the effectiveness of the Code of Conduct for Members and to decide whether there has been a breach of the code.

Membership of our Standards Committee

The Committee is made up of 8 independent members and 7 councillors.

Terms of Reference

The terms of reference for the Standards Committee can be downloaded here.

Terms of Reference (28kb)

When the Standards Committee meets

We publish details of all our committee meetings.  Search the calendar to find the relevant Standards Committee meeting. 

Annual Report 2010

The Annual report of the Standards Committee (80kb)

Code of Conduct

Every council is required to adopt a Code of Conduct that sets out the rules governing the behaviour of its members. All elected, co-opted and independent members of the council are covered by the Code of Conduct. 

A Pocket Guide to the Code of Conduct and Guide for Members to the Code of Conduct is available from the Standards for England website.

The following online guides, provided by the Standards Board, focus on and provide summary for a number of key points and frequently asked questions regarding the Code of Conduct:

  • Bullying and the Code of Conduct
  • Lobbying
  • Personal and prejudicial interests
  • Disclosing confidential information
  • Gifts and hospitality
  • Predisposition, predetermination or bias, and the Code

Online guides from the Standards for England website 

Complaints and investigations against councillors and co-opted members

Any person can make a complaint that a councillor or co-opted member has breached the Code of Conduct.