Standards Committee
The ethical framework for public authorities such as Kingston Council was established in the Local Government Act 2000 and is overseen nationally by the Standard Board for England. Locally, Kingston’s Standards Committee aims to promote high standards of ethical conduct and probity among elected councillors and the independent and co-opted members appointed to committees.
The behaviour of all elected, co-opted and independent members of the Council is covered by a Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct, together with other locally adopted protocols for behaviour, can be viewed via the link at the bottom of the page.
Role of the Standards Committee
The Standards Committee is made up of five independent members and seven councillors. The Committee is chaired by an independent member and so are any Sub-Committees, which are established to investigate allegations of misconduct. Further membership and meeting details are available via the link at the bottom of the page.
The Standards Committee:
- gives the Council advice on adopting the local code of conduct, monitoring the effectiveness of the code and promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct for members.
- responds to national reviews and consultations on standards related issues
- is able to grant dispensations to members allowing them to take part and vote in certain circumstances, when they would not otherwise be entitled to.
- has power to conduct formal hearings to hear complaints that have been referred from the Standards Board.
The Committee can also hear complaints about the conduct of councillors but only if:
- the conduct is a breach of the Council's Code of Conduct and
- the complaint has been referred to them by the Standards Board for England
If you feel that there may have been a breach of the Code of Conduct, please see the guidance set out in Making a Complaint.