Standards Committees can take a lead from ‘notable practice’
Research into ‘notable practice’, was carried out jointly by Hull University and the University of Teesside and was finalised in October 2009. It is called ‘notable practice’ to highlight the fact that the tips for success are examples of where particular approaches have worked in certain authorities, rather than ‘set-in-stone’ rules about what should be done.
Bristol City Council standards committee was identified as being particularly effective at facilitating organisational learning, sharing learning with the local government community and acting as hub for other authorities and independent members in the South West. The focus of the case study in South Cambridgeshire was on the standards committee’s proactive approach to the recruitment and retention of independent members.
The research identified nine examples of notable practice in different authorities. Below is the list of the notable practice examples and the case study authorities.
| Notable practice | Case study authority | |
| Organisational learning | Bristol City Council | |
| Working with town and parish councils | Taunton Deane Borough Council | |
| Member development | Surrey Police Authority | |
| Working with partnerships | Newark and Sherwood District Council | |
| Recruitment and retention | South Cambridgeshire District Council | |
| Training and development | Herefordshire County Council | |
| Joint standards and audit committees | Runnymede Borough Council | |
| High pressure investigations | Greater London Author | |
| Embedding standards | Newcastle City Coun |
Standards committees can now access these case studies, examine details of the notable practice, and benefit from key learning points. The research, 'Assessing the Impact of Standards Committees 2009', can be found at
www.standardsforengland.gov.uk/Resources/Research/2009reports/
Further information
For further information on this paper or any other work undertaken by the Research Team, please contact Hannah Pearson (Research and Projects Adviser), email: hannah.pearson@standardsforengland.gov.uk , ext: 5417
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