Committee on Standards in Public Life: Getting the balance right: Implementing standards of conduc…
R10-22
Published January 2005
Response position and delivery status are recorded separately. Acceptance does not establish implementation.
Recommendation (the Committee's words)
The Committee welcomes the steps taken by the Standards Board to resolve delays and backlogs in investigations. These measures should be further bolstered by taking full advantage of the new s66 regulations to refer to a local level a steadily increasing proportion of complaints judged worthy of investigation. In light of our recommendations to enable initial complaints-handling to be done at the local level, the experience of operating the s66 regulations over the next two years should be used by the Standards Board to develop the framework within which local Standards Committees will decide whether to refer a complaint for investigation by the Standards Board.
From: Committee on Standards in Public Life, Getting the balance right: Implementing standards of conduct in public life, January 2005
Government response
Government response (the government's words)
The Government appreciates the Committee’s support for the steps the Board has taken to tackle backlogs and delays in case handling. We accept that the numbers of cases dealt with at local level should be increased. Following the issuing of regulations under section 66 of the Local Government Act 2000 last year, the Board has been referring increasing numbers of cases for local investigation and determination. It should be possible to use the Board’s experience of operating the rules on the referral of cases locally to inform the development of procedures for standards committees to make decisions on how cases should be dealt with.
From: HM Government. Source document ↗