Standards
Make councils account for extreme investments
Local government needs a new way to hold councils to account when they are making ‘extreme’ investments, finance expert Rob Whiteman has claimed.
Who watches the watchers?
Donald Graham reviews the recent history of local government standards and concludes two-tier and combined authority regions would give local independent panels some traction.
'No evidence' of sexist culture despite chief's claims
No evidence of a culture of sexism has been found at Stratford-on-Avon DC following claims by an outgoing chief.
Councillors to apologise at 'sexist culture' council
Two councillors have agreed to apologise after investigations at a council where an outgoing chief detailed a 'sexist culture'.
Solace Summit: Officers 'scared of doing their jobs'
Council chiefs have heard of the growing issues of bullying and harassment at the Solace Summit.
Thanet deputy chief cleared of misconduct
Allegations of misconduct against the deputy chief executive of Thanet DC have been dropped, The MJ understands.
Solace preview: Evolving our approach to ethics and standards
Local government is well-placed to lead the way in evolving and supporting ethical standards to keep pace with challenging times, says Jacqui McKinley, who will speak at next month's Solace Summit 2019 in Birmingham.
Setting standards for democracy
Proposals to suspend councillors for their misdemeanours may cause more problems than they solve, argues Colin Copus. Instead, the public should have the right of recall
The current standards regime is not fit for purpose
The recommendations within the Committee for Standards in Public Life report on local government standards must be taken seriously by the sector and Whitehall, says Graeme McDonald.
Legal officers press for standards reform
The rise in the number of independent councillors has strengthened the case for a tougher standards regime, monitoring officers have argued.
Giving the sector a voice on AI
Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life Lord Jonathan Evans says Artificial Intelligence can revolutionise local government – but it must do so in line with standards that the public expect.
Council takes strong action against resident harassment
A council chief executive has issued a strong warning to residents who attempt to harass staff and members.
Council makes 'significant progress' after standards issues
Sandwell MBC has made ‘significant progress’ following an independent review last year.
Call for power to ban councillors
Council standards boards should have the power to ban councillors for up to six months without allowances, the Committee on Standards in Public Life has recommended.
Don't dump the rule book under pressure, LGO warns councils
Councils have been warned not to let budget squeezes and disruption caused by change programmes to land them in trouble with the Ombudsman.
Wigan councillor bullied and abused staff members
A councillor at Wigan MBC has been ordered to apologise to two employees he was found to have abused.
Senior officers 'feel less secure'
Senior officers are less empowered to speak out when they need to because they feel less secure, the leader of a review of local government ethical standards has said.
Double standards?
When it comes to improving public services, what’s good for local government should be good for central government. Piali Das Gupta looks at why the latter can benefit from adopting the principles of the former
‘Toothless tiger’ standards beast needs to roar
both officers and councillors should be able to conduct their roles without fear of intimidation and that will require a standards regime with teeth, writes Heather Jameson.
Standards split between officers and councillors
Councillors and officers are divided over the future of the standards regime, with politicians backing the existing approach dismissed as a ‘toothless tiger’ by officials.
