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Course focus

Essential Guide to Overview and Scruitiny

Date:
04 September 2008
Venue:
UMIST, Manchester
CPD:
5.0

Training programmes

Code of Conduct

This seminar is aimed at Councillors who need to know what the new Code requires of them, for members of Standards Committees who will have to deal with allegations of misconduct, and for Monitoring Officers and other officers who will advise members and deal with allegations of misconduct.

The Code:

  • Will look at when Councillors can speak and when they must with draw from meeting
  • Will allow disclosure of confidential information where this is in the public interest
  • Will prohibit bullying and intimidation of complainants and witnesses.

The Current Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill will re-apply the Code of Conduct to events in a Councillor’s private life, and will invert the procedure for dealing with complaints of misconduct, so that local Standards Committees will be responsible for deciding whether complaints merit investigation. In these seminars, Peter Keith-Lucas will apply his very wide practical knowledge of local government and standards to:

  • Set the new Code in the context of other constraints on Councillors’ conduct, including personal criminal and civil liability, and lawful decision-making
  • Explain the complete Code, with examples from recent Standards cases
  • List the actions which authorities need to take to implement the new Code
  • Explain the further changes which will come over the next 12 months, including the application of the Code to private life
  • Address the practicalities of dealing with allegations of misconduct, from local “first sieve” to final determination

 

Programme directory