| We welcome the Government's desire to codify, facilitate and enforce ethical governance and standards through the development of the Model Code of Conduct and the establishment of the Standards Board for England. Nevertheless, it remains our belief that incidents of misbehaviour or corruption with local government in England are isolated and atypical. The majority of local government members and officials unflinchingly adhere to the high standards that the Government expects and the public deserves.
The Standards Board was established in 2001 and began to receive complaints early in 2002. Although the volume of complaints received was broadly in line with expectations, many were far more complicated and required more complex investigations that had been planned. The Standards Board has been roundly criticised for the unacceptable delays in dealing with most complaints. We have a identified a series of reasons for these delays but in almost every instance the cause can be attributed to the Government's failure to provide a complete legislative framework rather than failings on the part of the Board.
The Standards Board's promotion and guidance work has found more favour although there are still areas, such as communications with Parish Councillors, which would benefit from greater emphasis. Now that the Government has finally enabled local investigations and local determinations, the Standards Boards should have the flexibility to adopt a more holistic approach to its work in this area.
The Code of Conduct has provided a useful element in the ethical framework but certain provisions would benefit from amendment either in the light of operational experience or to enhance clarity and understanding. We have made a series of recommendations relating to Code which the should be taken into account as part of the current review.
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