Committee on Standards in Public Life: Local government ethical standards: report
R19-2
Response position Partially accepted
Published January 2019
Response position and delivery status are recorded separately. Acceptance does not establish implementation.
Recommendation (the Committee's words)
The government should ensure that candidates standing for or accepting public offices are not required publicly to disclose their home address. The Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012 should be amended to clarify that a councillor does not need to register their home address on an authority’s register of interests.
From: Committee on Standards in Public Life, Local government ethical standards: report, January 2019
Government response
Government response (the government's words)
This issue was brought up in the Committee’s work on intimidation in public life, and the government has already taken forward several steps in this regard. The government is open and receptive to further steps to help prevent intimidation.
The government agrees with the principle behind this recommendation – which safeguards elected representatives – and considers amending the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012 would be an option to achieve it.
The government will engage with interested parties on the best means to ensure that candidates and councillors are not required publicly to disclose their home address.
Notwithstanding, it is important that home addresses are internally registered with monitoring officers, to help avoid conflicts of interest.
The government agrees with the principle behind this recommendation – which safeguards elected representatives – and considers amending the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012 would be an option to achieve it.
The government will engage with interested parties on the best means to ensure that candidates and councillors are not required publicly to disclose their home address.
Notwithstanding, it is important that home addresses are internally registered with monitoring officers, to help avoid conflicts of interest.
From: HM Government. Source document ↗