New Code of Conduct
Ethical Standards Framework
Checklist for Parish Clerks to Administer on Behalf of their Parish and Town Councils.
The purpose of the new Code is to promote good conduct by Councillors and to help in avoiding bringing your Council into disrepute in the eyes of the public. As you will be aware, Parish and Town Councillors have long been bound by a Code of Conduct. They now need to comply with the new Code contained within the Ethical Framework enshrined in the Local Government Act 2000.
1. CHECK that your Council has received from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM), The Model Code of Conduct for Parish and Town Councils (it can be downloaded from the HMSO Website by clicking here www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/stat.htm and using the search facility, type The Parish Council Model Code of Conduct Order 2001. The Order appears as number 2 on a list of options and click into the relevant document.
2. Make sure that ALL Councillors read the Code.
3. LIAISE with the Monitoring Officer at Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council (Liam Henry, Borough Solicitor, tel (01289) 301710 or email wh@berwick-upon-tweed.gov.uk)
4. Ensure that the Clerk and Chairman (as a minimum) take up any training opportunities that may be offered by the Monitoring Officer.
5. Cascade down information from the training events to all Councillors.
6. Your Council should by now have formally adopted the Code in its entirety (to comply with the Local Government Act 2000) by 5 May 2002. Your decision to adopt MUST be formally minuted. A majority vote is all that is required for the Code to be adopted.
7. A copy of the Minute indicating that your Parish and Town Council has adopted the Code MUST be sent to the Standards Board for England. It should indicate the name of the parish/town council, the name of the Borough/District Council in which it is located and the County and contain the signature of the Parish/Town Council Chairman together with the date it was adopted.
8. Each Councillor MUST sign a new Declaration of Acceptance of Code.
9. Each Councillor MUST complete their entry in the Register of Members Interests within 28 days of the Parish Council adopting the Code. THIS IS MANDATORY. Send the original copy to the Monitoring Officer and keep a copy for local scrutiny (on request).
10. Publish a notice in at least one newspaper (NOT a Parish newsletter) to inform the public that your Council has adopted the Code. NOTE: some District Councils may invite Parish Councils to share the cost of an advert.
10. Keep the Register of Members Interests up to date.
12. The Northumberland Association of Local Councils can help you on issues to do with the Code. It is vitally important to liaise on behalf of your Council with the Borough Council's Monitoring Officer.
Tripartite Meetings
The Council has set up a regular Tripartite Meeting to help develop partnership working with local parish councils and the County Council.
The Tripartite Meeting is a quarterly meeting of Parish Councils, Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council and Northumberland County Council. It provides an opportunity for all three tiers of local government to exchange information, raise issues of concern and share examples of good practice. There may be presentations by other organisations such as Northumberland NHS Care Trust or Northumbria Police, and the Tripartite group may also call special meetings to deal with specific issues such as the recent Regional Government Referendum, or proposals for windfarms in the Borough.
The next Tripartite Meeting will be held:
On Thursday, 3rd March 2005
At Bamburgh
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