Procedures and Policies

HEYDOUR, AISBY AND OASBY PARISH COUNCILLOR’S CODE OF CONDUCT 

Heydour, Aisby and Oasby Parish Council has adopted this Code setting out the expected behaviours required of its Councillors (including any co-opted Councillors), acknowledging that they each have a responsibility to represent the community and work constructively with parishioners and partner organisations to secure better social, economic and environmental outcomes for all. 

In accordance with the Localism Act 2011 (the Act), when acting in this capacity all Councillors must be committed to behaving in a manner that is consistent with the following principles to achieve best value for our residents and maintain public confidence in this Parish Council. 

SELFLESSNESS: Councillors 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: Councillors should not place themselves under any financial or other obligation to outside individuals or organisations, which might seek to influence them in the performance of their official duties. 

OBJECTIVITY: In carrying out parish business, including instructing works, awarding contracts, recommending individuals for reward and commenting on planning applications, Councillors should make choices purely on merit.

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

OPENNESS: Councillors 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: Councillors 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.

LEADERSHIP: Councillors should promote and support these principles by leadership and example. In particular, they should always treat parishioners, members of the public, other organisations and third parties with respect at all times.

The Act further provides for registration and disclosure of interests and in Heydour Parish Council this will be done as follows: 

Interests

1.  Registration of interests

You must, within 28 days of: -

(a) your election or appointment to office; and

(b) becoming aware of any new interest or change to any interest registered under this paragraph 1

notify the Monitoring Officer at SKDC in writing of your disclosable pecuniary interests which are registerable under the Localism Act 2011 and The Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interest) Regulations 2012, for inclusion in the register of interests. This must also be copied to the Parish Council Clerk. 

Any interests notified in writing to the Monitoring Officer will be included in the register of interests.

A copy of the register will be available for public inspection and will be published on SKDC’s website.

2. Disclosure of Interests

If you have an interest described in paragraph 1 above and if you are aware or ought reasonably to be aware of the existence of an interest described at clause 2.1 below, and you attend a meeting of your authority at which the matter in which you have an interest is considered, you must disclose to that meeting the existence and nature of that interest at the commencement of that consideration or when the interest becomes apparent.

2.1 Any interest in any business of your authority:

• where a decision in relation to that business might reasonably be regarded as affecting your well-being or financial position or the well-being or financial position of a relevant person to a greater extent than the majority of other council tax payers, ratepayers or inhabitants of the electoral division, as the case may be, affected by the decision, or

• it relates to or is likely to affect any of the interests you have registered as a disclosable pecuniary interest; and 

• the interest is one which a member of the public with knowledge of the relevant facts would reasonably regard as so significant that it is likely to prejudice your judgement of the public interest

You may comment on the matter but may not participate in any discussion of the matter or any vote taken on the matter at the meeting.

2.2 In paragraph 2.1, a relevant person is—

a member of your family or any person with whom you have a close association, their employers or people they are in partnership with, companies of which they are directors or in which they hold a beneficial interest in any class of securities exceeding the nominal value of £25,000 or one hundredth of the total issued share capital of that company.

3 Sensitive interests

3.1 Where you consider that disclosure or registration of the details of an interest could, for whatever reason, be sensitive and the Monitoring Officer agrees, if the interest is entered on the register, copies of the register that are made available for inspection and any published version of the register will exclude details of the sensitive interest, but may state that you have an interest, the details of which are withheld.

4. Attendance at meetings

4.1 You are required to leave the room where a meeting is held while any discussion or voting takes place where you have an interest described in paragraphs 1 or 2.1 above.

4.2 Where you have an interest in any business described in paragraph 2.1 above, you may attend a meeting but only for the purpose of making representations, answering questions or giving evidence relating to the business, provided that the public are also allowed to attend the meeting for the same purpose, whether under a statutory right or otherwise and you leave the room where the meeting is held immediately after making representations, answering questions or giving evidence.

5. Gifts and Hospitality

5.1 You must notify the Clerk and the Monitoring Officer in writing the name of any person or organisation from whom you have received a gift or hospitality with an estimated value of at least £20, which you have received in your capacity as a Parish Councillor.  The notification must include the date of receipt of the offer and details of whether or not the gift was accepted.