NORTH YORKSHIRE COUNCIL

 

STANDARDS AND GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE

 

17 September 2025

 

Local Ethical Framework Developments 

 

 

1.0       PURPOSE OF REPORT

 

1.1         To update Members on developments in the national ethical framework under the Localism Act 2011.

 

2.0       BACKGROUND

 

2.1       Members receive a report at each ordinary Standards and Governance Committee meeting setting out any recent developments in the national ethical framework.

 

3.0         GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION ON STRENGTHENING THE STANDARDS REGIME

 

3.1          The Committee has previously considered and responded to the Government consultation on strengthening the standards regime (Strengthening the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England - GOV.UK) (and the associated LGA Questionnaire regarding the consultation), which closed on 26 February 2025.

 

3.2          The Committee was informed at its previous meeting of:

 

·         the responses to the consultation by the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) and the Local Government Association (LGA); and

 

·         the statement by the Minister of State for Local Government and English Devolution, during a debate on 11 March 2025 (Local Government: Nolan Principles - Hansard - UK Parliament), that more than 2,000 submissions have been made to the consultation and Government was working “at pace” to review the results.

 

3.3          In June, the Chief Executive of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman confirmed at a Lawyers in Local Government (LLG) conference that the Ombudsman would be open to running any national appeals body that was referenced in the Government consultation and was having discussions about this but stated that it would present challenges in terms of capacity and speed, as they would need to determine the substantive issue rather than just the process which had been followed. The Chief Executive also commented that there was “"no sense … that there's a decision made behind the scenes that they're going in any particular direction".

 

3.4          There is no substantive update on the consultation. Members will be kept informed of developments.

 

 

 

 

4.0         ESTABLISHMENT OF ETHICS AND INTEGRITY COMMISSION

 

4.1         On 21 July 2025, the Government announced the intended establishment of a new Ethics and Integrity Commission, to oversee the ethical standards of ministers and public officials and “drive up standards in public life”, change the ministerial severance arrangements and the business appointment rules.

 

4.2         The Commission will also:

 

·       advise Government on ethics in public life by conducting broad inquiries into topical issues;

·       report annually to the Prime Minister on ethical standards in the public sector;

·       engage regularly with public bodies to advise of ethical standards and the development of codes of conduct;

·       convene other ethics and standards bodies from across government and Parliament to share best practice and raise concerns.

 

4.3         The aim is that the Commission will be established by strengthening and reforming the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

 

4.4         Further information is available in the published press release - Ethics and Integrity Commission to drive up standards across the public sector - GOV.UK and via the House of Commons Library Research Briefing - Ethics and Integrity Commission - House of Commons Library

 

5.0         CSPL ANNUAL REPORT 2024-2025

 

5.1         On 23 June 2025, the CSPL published its Annual Report for 2024-2025 - Committee on Standards in Public Life Annual Report 2024 – 2025 - GOV.UK.

 

5.2         The Report reflects on the work of the CSPL during the year, promoting high standards of conduct in public life and marking the 30th anniversary of the Nolan Principles. The CSPL’s work is reported to the Standards and Governance Committee in each standing report re Local Ethical Framework Developments and highlighted in each Standards Bulletin.

 

6.0         CSPL CONFERENCE – ‘THE NOLAN PRINCIPLES AT 30’

 

6.1         The CSPL continues to mark the 30th anniversary of the Nolan Principles (general principles of conduct) and held a conference in June on ‘the Nolan Principles at 30’, to discuss the importance of maintaining high standards of conduct in public life.

 

6.2         The CSPL has published a blog regarding the conference - The Nolan Principles at 30 – Committee on Standards in Public Life

 

6.3         The key themes discussed during the conference appear to be:

 

·         the fragile state of public trust in politics

·         the complexity of public sector decision-making

·         the wider societal changes that pose major challenges to institutions

·         that high standards can act as an enabler, helping demonstrate that the way in which decisions, however unpopular, are made in the public interest

·         the importance of building wider, cross-party agreement on standards 

·         that weaponisation of the standards system for political gain is damaging

·         the importance of the need for high standards of conduct and its continued regular discussion

·         regulatory bodies must be independent, able to scrutinise and adjudicate without fear or favour

·         where necessary there must be a range of sanctions for failures and breaches

·         regulation must be proportionate and fair

·         the Nolan Principles have stood the test of time and remain very relevant.

 

7.0         INTIMIDATION IN PUBLIC LIFE

 

LGA survey – Debate not Hate

 

7.1         The Local Government Association has undertaken a survey of councillors as part of its Debate not Hate campaign – More than half of councillors report being victims of misinformation, while rates of abuse and threats remain high across local government, LGA survey finds | Local Government Association

 

7.2          The LGA notes the following regarding the survey results:

 

·         52% of councillors have reported having untrue or misleading information about their political or personal conduct publicly published;

 

·         the rate of reported abuse, intimidation and threats continues to be high, with seven in 10 councillors reporting experiencing issues in the last 12 months;

 

·         one-quarter of respondents said that they or someone closely connected to them had experienced a threat of violence or death and 21% of these had reported an incident to the police (compared to 23% last year);

 

·         of those reporting abuse in responding:

Ø  11% had had private information made public,

Ø  64% had experienced abuse online;

Ø  59% had experienced in-person abuse;

Ø  8% had a member of the public attend their home in an intimidating or inappropriate matter

Ø  1 in 20 reported being stalked by a member of the public;

Ø  1 in 20 reported property damage;

Ø  3% reported actual violence as part of their councillor role;

 

·         councillors are more likely to experience abuse than others based on protected characteristics;

 

·         analysis of protected characteristic data showed that:

 

Ø 84% of female respondents feel at risk when fulfilling their role as a councillor, compared to 66% of male councillors

Ø 86% of disabled councillors reported experiencing abuse or intimidation in the last 12 months, compared to 68% of non-disabled councillors

Ø 34% of LGBT+ councillors have reported an incident of abuse or intimidation to the police compared to 20% of heterosexual councillors

Ø 84% of councillors from an ethnic minority background feel at risk when fulfilling their role as a councillor, compared to 72% of white respondents

 

·         In addition to being more likely to report experiencing abuse, risk and criminality, women and disabled councillors were more likely to cite abuse and intimidation as a factor in their decision not to run for election again.

 

7.3         Further details are published on the LGA website.

 

Action by Cheshire East Council to combat abuse of councillors

 

7.4         Cheshire East Council has recently issued a media release outlining the steps it is taking to combat “appalling” abuse, intimidation and harassment of, and support to, councillors - 07/08/2025 - Cheshire East takes steps to combat appalling abuse of councillors.

 

7.5         Examples of the abuse include death threats, excrement posted through letterboxes, stalking, trolling and obscene phone calls. Over a third of the councillors had considered stepping down as a result.

 

7.6         The recommended measures include:

 

·         the introduction of a formal reporting process,

·         the appointment of a nominated officer for councillor safety,

·         the development of a comprehensive councillor safety protocol

·         the provision of lone-working devices

·         targeted training around conflict prevention and wellbeing

·         the creation of a member champion for councillor safety, as an advocate to ensure these issues remain prioritised

·         the authority “reaffirm its commitment” to the Local Government Association’s Debate not Hate public statement, to help support and encourage civility in public life

·         councillors having a named Police officer contact for raising concerns

 

NYC Member Liaison Group on Councillor Safety

 

7.7         North Yorkshire Council takes Member safety seriously. The Council’s cross party Member Liaison Group on Councillor Safety was established in May 2024 and has met six times to date, next due to meet on 25 September 2025. It is supported by the Assistant Chief Executive Legal and Democratic Services & Monitoring Officer and the Head of Democratic Services and Scrutiny and is also attended by the Head of Health and Safety and two North Yorkshire Police Officers.

 

7.8         The Group has undertaken a number of practical steps to promote Member safety, including:

 

·           Consideration of the Local Government Association’s ‘Debate Not Hate’ campaign and supporting toolkit action points and work undertaken by other authorities to promote councillor safety, to provide a framework against which progress locally can be assessed;

 

·           An all-councillor survey on member safety completed and the results analysed and responded to in November/December 2024;

 

·           A system for the reporting, collation and analysis of incidences where councillors have felt or been threatened or intimidated during the course of their duties has been in place since March 2025;

 

·           Developing strong relationships with the Police to enhance coordination and foster mutual understanding of abuse affecting councillors and the role of the Police in addressing it, including the establishment of a named Police officer contact as Elected Officials Advisor, who is available to speak with and support councillors who have concerns regarding their safety;

 

·           Councillors concerned about their physical safety can apply for funding for practical measures to increase security at their homes;

 

·           Councillor addresses and phone numbers can be removed from the Council website where there are concerns around safety;

 

·           Councillor access to wellbeing services can be enabled upon request;

 

·           Training and awareness raising on a range of issues is periodically undertaken through the Member seminars and briefings;

 

7.9         The Group has identified further areas for consideration, including:

 

·           An annual all-councillor survey;

·           The establishment of a wellbeing or councillor safety champion;

·           A review of relevant policies on safety matters that are currently in place to see whether they apply to councillors as well as officers;

·           Training and/or briefings for councillors on the following: personal safety and risk assessment; social media training and digital citizenship; and conflict de-escalation;

·           Provision of mentor support for councillors, made available following an incident, and how this would be done;

·           A review of the current level of support that is available to councillors through the employee wellbeing services.

 

7.10     Members will be kept informed of developments.

 

8.0         FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

 

8.1       There are no significant financial implications arising from this report.

 

9.0         LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

 

9.1       The legal implications are set out in the body of this report.

 

10.0       ENVIRONMENTAL/CLIMATE CHANGE IMPLICATIONS

 

10.1     There are no significant environmental implications arising from this report.

 

11.0       EQUALITIES IMPLICATIONS

 

11.1     There are no significant equalities implications arising from this report.

 

 

12.0       RECOMMENDATIONS

 

12.1      That the Committee notes the contents of this report.

 

 

 

BARRY KHAN

Assistant Chief Executive Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer

 

 

Background Papers:  The Localism Act 2011

County Hall

NORTHALLERTON

 

 

1 September 2025