Code of Conduct
Councillor Conduct and Standards
The Localism Act 2011 introduced a new regime for standards and dealing with complaints against Members. Every local authority is required to adopt a Code of Conduct that sets out rules governing the behaviour of its Councillors. All elected, co-opted and Independent Members of local authorities, including Parish Councils are covered by the Code.
The Code of Conduct sets out:
- Standards of behaviour including honesty, integrity, objectivity, openness and accountability
- When a Member must declare a pecuniary interest
- When they must withdraw from discussions, debates or votes
- When gifts and hospitality must be notified to the Monitoring Officer.
The legislation contains specific rules governing Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPIs) that apply to Parish Councillors. There is a requirement for Councillors to register their DPIs and for this information to be available on the District Council website for public inspection. Failure to register a DPI is a criminal offence. Councillors must not participate in any discussion or vote on any matter in which they are aware they have a DPI.
The council adopted the NKDC Code of Conduct with effect from July 2022 - Download a copy of the Council’s Code of Conduct.