Code of Conduct

Councillors are committed to behaving in a manner that is consistent with the following seven Nolan principles to achieve best value for our residents and maintain public confidence in this Council. Holders of public office should promote and support these principles by leadership and example.

SELFLESSNESS: Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest. They should not do so in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends.

INTEGRITY: Holders of public office should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations that might seek to influence them in the performance of their official duties.

OBJECTIVITY: In carrying out public business, including making public appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards and benefits, holders of public office should make choices on merit.

ACCOUNTABILITY: Holders of public office are accountable for their decisions and actions to the public and must submit themselves to whatever scrutiny is appropriate to their office.

OPENNESS: Holders of public office should be as open as possible about all the decisions and actions that they take. They should give reasons for their decisions and restrict information only when the wider public interest clearly demands.

HONESTY: Holders of public office have a duty to declare any private interests relating to their public duties and to take steps to resolve any conflicts arising in a way that protects the public interest.

BULLYING AND HARASSMENT: Holders of public office must treat others with respect and must not pursue a course of conduct which amounts to bullying or harassment of another.

Member Obligations
When a member of the Council acts as a representative of the Council, he or she has the following obligations:

• To behave in such a way that a reasonable person would regard as respectful.
• Not to seek to confer an advantage or disadvantage on any person.
• Not to disclose information which is confidential or where disclosure is prohibited by law.

REGISTRATION of DISCLOSABLE PECUNIARY INTERESTS
Within 28 days of being elected or co-opted, re-elected or co-opted following the Annual meeting or Election, Councillors must:
• Comply with the statutory requirements to register, disclose and withdraw from participating in any way in respect of the matter, or matters, in which they have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest as defined in Appendix A.

• Keep their Register of Interests up to date and notify the Monitoring Officer in writing within 28 days of becoming aware of any change in respect of interests.

• Where a matter arises at a meeting which relates to a financial interest of a friend, relative or close associate, a Councillor must disclose the nature of the interest and not vote on the matter.

SENSITIVE INFORMATION
In this Code “sensitive information” means information whose availability for inspection by the public creates or is likely to create a serious risk that a Councillor, or co-habiting partner, may be subjected to violence or intimidation. With the agreement of the Parish Council’s Clerk, such information may be omitted when registering that interest.

Members of Brassington Parish Council should address the statutory principles of this Code of Conduct by:

• Championing the needs of the whole village community, putting their interests first.

• Dealing with representations or enquiries from residents and members of the community fairly, appropriately and impartially.

• Not allowing other pressures, including personal financial interests, to detract from attendance to the interests of the Parish Council or the good governance of the authority.

• Exercising independent judgement and not compromising their position by placing themselves under obligations to outside individuals, who may seek to influence the manner in which duties as Parish Councillor are carried out.

• Listening to the interests of all parties, including relevant advice from statutory and other professional officers, taking all relevant information into consideration, remaining objective and making decisions on merit.

• Being accountable for personal decisions and co-operating should any relevant query arise from either the Parish Council or local residents.

• Contributing to making Brassington Parish Council’s decision-making processes as open and transparent as possible in order to enable residents’ understanding of the reasoning behind those decisions.

• To be informed, in the event of any member of the Parish Council being held to account, but restricting access to information when the wider public interest or the law requires it.

• Respecting the confidentiality of information received as a Parish Councillor.

• Behaving in accordance with all our legal obligations, with particular regard to the:

o Data Protection Act 2018
o Freedom of Information Act 2000
o Bribery Act 2010
o Equality Act 2010

• Valuing colleagues and staff and engaging with them in an appropriate manner and one that underpins the mutual respect between us that is essential to good local government.