Frodsham Town Council conflict: National Association of Local Councils calls for higher standards of councillor conduct

By The Editor

12th Feb 2021 | Local News

NALC's Sue Baxter
NALC's Sue Baxter

Calls have been made to improve the standards of councillor conduct by a major local government organisation.

The National Association of Local Councils (NALC) has written an open letter to Robert Jenrick, Local Government Minister, urging government to 'bring forward changes to the current standards regime governing conduct in local government'.

It comes as recent meetings in Frodsham, Handforth, and Penketh have come to light, revealing representatives' behaviour and leading to the submission of a vote of no confidence in Cheshire East mayor Cllr Barry Burkhill, who is also on Handforth Parish Council.

Cllr Sue Baxter, chairman of NALC, said: "In my recent open letter, I restated our firm commitment to promoting and supporting good governance and the highest standards of conduct and behaviour in local (parish and town) councils.

"Most local councils are well run, with clerks and council staff working as a team with councillors to deliver their ambitions for the community.

"But all too often we hear about the negative impact poor and disruptive behaviour can have; by councillors, clerks and residents.

"Simply put, we must tackle this issue and put a stop to the actions of the few overshadowing the many whose tireless efforts play such a vital role in our civic life and local communities."

NALC's ask of Whitehall is to implement the recommendations of a 2019 report from the Committee on Standard in Public Life.

They included tougher sanctions for poor councillor conduct, an improved process for declaring interests, and a strengthening of safeguards in disciplinary investigations.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Local Government, and Communities said that it was 'carefully considering' the 22 recommendations aimed at government and a 'response will be issued in due course'.

They added that councils will have the opportunity to have their say on any legislative changes via public consultation.

     

New frodsham Jobs Section Launched!!
Vacancies updated hourly!!
Click here: frodsham jobs

Share:

Related Articles

Hardwicke Circus is currently on a nationwide tour, bringing their original sound to Stonegate pubs all over the UK. (Credit: Ben Shahrabi)
Local News

Hits a GoGo: Hardwicke Circus releases a tongue-in-cheek bid for chart victory - listen to the single

Hardwicke Circus will kick off their pub tour in Sheffield on September 26. (Credit: Hardwicke Circus and Pixabay)
Local News

Hardwicke Circus to bring critically-acclaimed rock 'n' roll sound to pubs all over the UK

Sign-Up for our FREE Newsletter

We want to provide Frodsham with more and more clickbait-free local news.
To do that, we need a loyal newsletter following.
Help us survive and sign up to our FREE weekly newsletter.

Already subscribed? Thank you. Just press X or click here.
We won't pass your details on to anyone else.
By clicking the Subscribe button you agree to our Privacy Policy.