Conduct, Complaints and Standards

North West Leicestershire Audit and Standards Committee

The Council has appointed an Audit and Standards Committee in accordance with the Regulations. This has to include at least one Parish Council representative and at least 25% of the membership must be totally independent of any Local Authority (not a Member or employee of any Local Authority).

The North West Leicestershire Audit and Standards Committee currently consists of five District Councillors, four Parish Councillors and five Independent Members.

The Monitoring Officer

Local Authorities are required to appoint a Monitoring Officer to generally oversee the introduction and operation of the Councillors Code of Conduct and to keep the statutory Register of Members Interests.

The Monitoring Officer's duties include advising the Audit and Standards Committee on investigations or determination of complaints that may be referred to it by Standards for England.

The Monitoring Officer also has a duty to report to the Council on any unlawful decisions or actions of the Executive. The Monitoring Officer is available to advise individual Councillors about compliance with the Code of Conduct.

Councillors' Interests

Register of Councillors' Interests

All Councillors (District and Parish) are required to register their interests in a Register kept by the District Council's Monitoring Officer.

The sort of things that have to be registered are set out in the Model Code of Conduct. These include things like the Councillors employment, certain financial interests relating to businesses with land or premises in the Council`s area, details of any contracts with the Council and any other land where the Councillor has any beneficial interest.

The Register also includes details of certain organisations that Councillors belong to, whether nominated by the Council, or in their own right, including public authorities or similar bodies, companies, industrial and provident societies, charities or similar bodies whose principle purposes include influencing public opinion or policy, and any Trade Union membership or membership of professional associations (see the Members Code of Conduct (PDF Document, 0.1 Mb) for full details).

The Register of Parish and District Councillor's Interests is available for public inspection at the Council Offices in Coalville.

Declarations of Interests - When Are Councillors Required to Leave Meetings?

If anything comes up for discussion at any Council meeting (including any Committees, Sub-Committees or other meetings conducting Council business) in which the Councillor has an interest, including anything which has to be included in the formal Register of Interests, then the Councillor has to declare that interest to the meeting and have it recorded.

Councillors also have to consider whether their interest is 'prejudicial' - that is 'one which a member of the public with a knowledge of the relevant facts would reasonably regard as so significant that it is likely to prejudice the Members judgement of the public interest'.

If this is the case then the Member, after making the declaration, must leave the room and must not seek to influence the decision in any way.

There are certain instances when Members can still participate - for example when the interest relates to another relevant Authority which the Councillor is also a Member of (see the Members Code of Conduct (PDF Document, 0.1 Mb) for details).