The
Standards Committee has the job of overseeing training and
promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct by
Councillors.
The
Localism Bill as originally drafted proposed sweeping away the
current ethical framework. It was
suggested that Councils would be free to adopt their own voluntary
Code of Conduct should they so wish.
However, in the light of the views expressed, the Bill was amended
and the following provisions were eventually incorporated into the
Act which received Royal Assent in November 2011:
·
Councils are required to have a new or amended Code
of Conduct to take effect from 1 July 2012.
·
The Code must be based on the principles of
selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness,
honesty and leadership.
·
The Code must include a requirement for members to
register and disclose Pecuniary Interests.
·
Councils must put in place a system to deal with any
allegation that a member has breached the provisions of the
Code.
·
Councils must appoint at least one
“Independent Person” who must be consulted in relation
to complaints before reaching a decision on any allegation
made.
Exeter
City Council has adopted a new Code of Conduct for Members, and
this can be seen by clicking on the following link:
Members Code of Conduct
How to make a complaint against an Exeter City
Councillor:
Where
you believe that a Member has breached the provisions of the
Member’s Code of Conduct, please put your allegation in
writing, setting out details of the alleged breach. Please address
this complaint to the Monitoring Officer, Ms B Al-Khafaji, Civic Centre, Exeter, EX1 1JN. Alternatively, you can email your complaint to
bkhafaji@exeter.gov.uk
How to make a complaint about the behaviour of a local authority
Councillor in Exeter
Complaints about Members Form - Exeter City Council
The Council’s “Independent
Person”
Exeter
City Council has appointed two independent persons to assist the
Council to deal with any complaints that a Member may have breached
the Code of Conduct. The two independent persons are:
·
Andrew Mimmack
·
Professor Brian Kirby
Their
contact details are c/o Monitoring Officer, Ms B Al-Khafaji, Civic Centre, Exeter, EX1 1JN.
Members’ Register of Interests:-
You can
view the register of interests for each Member online. Please do
this by clicking the individual Councillors page using the menu to
your right or following this link: Your
Councillors.
Alternatively, the Council’s Monitoring Officer holds the
Register of Members’ Interests, and these are available for
public inspection at Exeter City Council, Civic Centre, Paris
Street, Exeter, EX1 1JN.