NALC calls for a statutory code of conduct for parish and town council employees
We have called for stronger and more consistent ethical standards across local government, including the introduction of a statutory code of conduct for parish and town council employees.
In our response to the Ethics and Integrity Commission's call for evidence on designing and embedding ethical codes in the public sector, we highlighted our long-standing commitment to promoting good governance and the highest standards of behaviour across England's 10,000 parish and town councils.
We reaffirmed our support for the full implementation of the recommendations made by the Committee on Standards in Public Life in its 2019 report on local government ethical standards. These reforms remain essential to strengthening public confidence, improving accountability and ensuring robust standards frameworks across the sector.
A key recommendation in our response is the introduction of a statutory ethical code of conduct for parish and town council employees. We note that community councils in Wales have operated under statutory provisions governing employee conduct since 2001, demonstrating that such an approach is both practical and effective.
Our response also supports the full implementation of Sections 2.1 and 2.2 of the Green Book, the National Joint Council agreement covering local authority employees. These provisions require employees to maintain the highest standards of conduct and provide for local codes setting out the responsibilities and obligations of both employees and employers.
We argue that introducing a statutory framework for employee conduct would help ensure greater consistency across the sector, provide clearer expectations for staff and councils, and strengthen public trust in local government.
We also renewed our call for the remit of the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to be extended to parish and town councils. This would improve accountability, provide residents with access to an independent complaints mechanism and help strengthen confidence in the governance of councils.
Our response concludes that high standards of conduct are fundamental to effective local government and public trust. We are calling on policymakers to build on existing frameworks and implement long-standing recommendations that would strengthen ethical governance across all tiers of local government.
