Agenda

To approve that the purpose of the Code of Conduct Task and Finish Group is: to review the Code of Conduct for Members of West Berkshire Council and make a recommendation to the Governance and Ethics Committee of any changes required.  

The Code of Conduct for Members of West Berkshire Council was originally adopted in May 2012 following the introduction of the Localism Act 2011 and was amended in December 2013 to incorporate a social media policy.

To table comments on West Berkshire’s Code of Conduct already provided by Members.

To consider West Berkshire’s Gifts and Hospitality Code of Conduct.

To suggest a Work Programme for the Code of Conduct Task Group to follow.

To agree the date of the next meeting of the Task Group.

The Standards Board Regime was abolished for good as a result of the Localism Act 2011 – freeing up councils to put in place locally drawn up codes of conduct for their elected members.

The Department for Communities and Local Government published in April 2012 an illustrative text that councils could, if they chose, use as a basis for their new local code of conduct. There does not appear to have been any further guidance published.

The LGA also have a template Code of Conduct available on their website.

Bracknell Forest Council – last updated February 2014

RBWM – last updated December 2013

Reading Borough Council – last updated June 2012

Slough Borough Council – last updated June 2012

Swindon Borough Council – last updated July 2012

Wokingham Borough Council – last updated May 2015

Cheshire West won the Excellence in Democratic Services Award in the MJ Achievement Awards 2013.

Buckinghamshire County Council won the award for Corporate Governance in 2014’s Local Government Chronicle Awards.

Both of these Local Authorities’ Codes of Conduct were updated in 2015.