Generally, elected Members of local
authorities give enormous amounts of time to serve their community
and constituents. However, public perception tends to focus
on a minority who in some way abuse their positions or behave
badly.
Purbeck District Council is committed to
promoting and maintaining the highest standards of conduct and
corporate governance.
The Ten General Principles of Public Life are
specified by the Government to guide the conduct of
Council/Co-opted members. These principles have been adopted
by the District Council:-
(1) Selflessness
Members should serve only the public interest and
should never improperly confer an advantage or disadvantage on any
person.
(2) Honesty and
Integrity
Members should not place themselves in situations
where their honesty and integrity may be questioned, should not
behave improperly and should on all occasions avoid the appearance
of such behaviour.
(3) Objectivity
Members should make decisions on merit, including
when making appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending
individuals for rewards or benefits.
(4) Accountability
Members should be accountable to the public for
their actions and the manner in which they carry out their
responsibilities, and should co-operate fully and honestly with any
scrutiny appropriate to their particular office.
(5) Openness
Members should be as open as possible about their
actions and those of their authority, and should be prepared to
give reasons for those actions.
(6) Personal
Judgement
Members may take account of the views of others,
including their political groups, but should reach their own
conclusions on the issues before them and act in accordance with
those conclusions.
(7) Respect for
Others
Members should promote equality by not
discriminating unlawfully against any person, and by treating
people with respect, regardless of their race, age, religion,
gender, sexual orientation or disability. They should respect
the impartiality and integrity of the authority's statutory
officers, and its other employees.
(8) Duty to Uphold the
Law
Members should uphold the law and, on all
occasions, act in accordance with the trust that the public is
entitled to place in them.
(9) Stewardship
Members should do whatever they are able to do, to
ensure that their authorities use their resources prudently and in
accordance with the law.
(10) Leadership
Members should promote and support these principles
by leadership, and by example, and should always act in a way that
secures or preserves public confidence.
All Councillors in Purbeck,
including Parish and Town Council Members, are also bound by
a Code of Conduct that governs their general behaviour
and sets out things they must and must not do whilst acting in
their official capacity and also explains what members
must do when potential conflicts arise at meetings. The Code
is likely to be further extended in 2009.
The Code includes rules requiring all
Councillors to register and declare interests, gifts and
hospitality. These public registers can be inspected during
office hours at the District Council offices, Westport House,
Worgret Road, Wareham.
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