Standards and conduct
The ethical framework was a central part of the Government's plan to modernise local government. It is based on the recommendations of the Nolan Report on "Standards of Conduct in Public Life" - much of which was incorporated into Part III of the Local Government Act 2000.
The Act requires all District (Town and Parish) Councillors to comply with a Code of Conduct , to register their interests and to record all gifts or hospitality with a value of £25 received in connection with their role as a Councillor. Forms for all these purposes are available via links on the right together with guidance on frequently asked questions.
The Codes of Conduct for Members and Employees and other protocols to guide Members and employee conduct are reproduced in Part 5 of the Constitution (please see linked document on the right).
The Council also has a duty to appoint a Standards Committee to promote high standards of conduct amongst District as well as Town and Parish Councillors. Doug Hall, pictured above, is the current Independent Chairman of the Committee. In addition to District Councillors, the Committee comprises three representatives of Town and Parish Councils as well as four Independent Members appointed following public advertisement. (Use Standards Committee link on the right of this page.)
To view the Standards Committee Annual Report for 2009/10 please use the link given on the right.
Code of Conduct Complaints Process
From 8 May 2008, responsibility for considering complaints that a Member may have breached the Code of Conduct moved to the Standards Committees of local authorities.
What this means to you
If you consider that a Member of Huntingdonshire District Council or a Member of one of our Parish or Town Councils has breached their Council's Code of Conduct you may submit a complaint to the Monitoring Officer by completing the attached form and sending it to:
Huntingdonshire District Council
Pathfinder House
St Mary's Street
Huntingdon
PE29 3TN
The Standards Committee can only deal with complaints about the behaviour of a Member. It will not deal with complaints about things that are not covered by the Members' Code of Conduct. If you make a complaint to the Standards Committee, it must be about why you think a Member has not followed the Code of Conduct.