Committee on Standards in Public Life: Getting the balance right: Implementing standards of conduc…
R10-25
Published January 2005
Response position and delivery status are recorded separately. Acceptance does not establish implementation.
Recommendation (the Committee's words)
The phrase “in any other circumstance” should be removed from the Model Code in England (paragraphs 4 and 5 of schedule 1) so as to add clarity to the distinction between private and official conduct.
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)
We believe that councillors should set an example of leadership to their communities, and that they should be expected to act lawfully even when they are not acting in their role as members. We do not agree therefore that the code should be amended so as only to refer to actions by members in their official capacity and not their private lives. Following its review of the code, the Standards Board has, however, recommended that the current rule should be amended to provide that certain behaviour outside official duties should continue to be regulated, but that this should be restricted only to matters that would be regarded as unlawful. We accept this proposal, since it would balance the need for members to continue to set an example to their communities, and the need to exclude from proscription actions of which certain people might merely disapprove.
From: HM Government. Source document ↗