Leeds

Proactive standards committees are an important element of good practice when it comes to an effective local standards framework. According to standards committee chair, Mike Wilkinson, Leeds City Council benefits from “a standards committee that works together as one, and works together with the council” to implement and promote the highest standards among members.

“In terms of our overall function, what we’ve sought to do is to become engaged in a range of activities to assist in promoting ethical governance,” Mike explains. These activities form a communications plan, covering members, parishes and the general public. They include an annual report from the committee to the council, also made available to local press and to the public via the council’s website, which not only outlines the year’s ethical successes but also sets out further initiatives for the months to come. An internal newsletter, ‘Governance Matters’, informs members and staff about with standards issues, and the council’s website keeps the public up to date.

“That’s got lots of material about the standards committee and its operations, including all the background documentation, and easy access to information on what to do if you wish to make a complaint, the work that the standards committee does, the records of its meeting and the forthcoming meeting schedule and so on,” Mike says.

As well as using the web as a tool for reaching the public, Leeds also uses it as a training tool for members. An e-learning course, Cracking The Code, covers general obligations and members’ interests, and can be accessed by members at their convenience – including parish councillors.

Mike believes that the committee’s work with parishes has been important. “We do not have large numbers of complaints about parish councils. That’s very unlike other parts of the country,” he explains. “We would draw a satisfaction from the proactive work we’ve done there in assisting parish members to be very knowledgeable about the Code and complying with it.”

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