1. This Code has been developed to support the high standards of leadership and performance of members, and the openness and accountability necessary to ensure public confidence in the way in which you conduct your public duties.
2. The Code applies to the Mayor, Councillors, and Co-opted Members of the Council, collectively referred to as Member(s) in the remainder of this document.
3. A “Co-opted Member” is defined in the Localism Act 2011 Section 27(4) as “a person who is not a Member of the authority but who
a) is a Member of any committee or sub-committee of the authority, or;
b) is a Member of, and represents the authority on, any joint committee or joint sub- committee of the authority;
and who is entitled to vote on any question that falls to be decided at any meeting of that committee or sub-committee”.
4. Some Co-opted Members of the Council’s Scrutiny Committees are not caught by the above definition as they do not have the right to vote, however all Scrutiny Co-optees are expected to abide by the terms of this Code of Conduct.
5. The Code does not apply to Independent Persons, Observers and other persons involved in the Council’s Committees, Boards, and Panels. They are expected to take into account the Code and to follow any rules set out by their own organisations and act appropriately. This includes those Members of bodies such as the Health and Wellbeing Board who are appointed by other organisations.
6. The purpose of this Code of Conduct is to assist you, as a Member, in modelling the behaviour that is expected of you, to provide a personal check and balance, and to set out the type of conduct that could lead to action being taken against you. It is also to protect you, the public, fellow Members, local authority officers and the reputation of local government. It sets out general principles of conduct expected of all Members and your specific obligations in relation to standards of conduct. The LGA encourages the use of support, training and mediation prior to action being taken using the Code. The fundamental aim of the Code is to create and maintain public confidence in the role of Member and local government.
7. In addition to the Member Code of Conduct, the Council’s governance arrangements include a number of further Codes and Protocols set out in the Constitution which provide additional guidance or obligations which Members must consider. These include, but are not limited to, the Planning and Licensing Codes of Conduct and the Member / Officer Relations Protocol.
8. As Members you are also required to adhere to the Council’s Social Media policy in your role as a Member.
9. The Member Code of Conduct has been set within the context of the Tower Values of ‘Together, Open, Willing, Excellent, and Respect’ which we all hold Council's TOWER values (towerhamlets.gov.uk).
10. This Code of Conduct has been developed from the Model Code of Conduct published by the Local Government Association (LGA). The LGA has also produced guidance to accompany its Model Code. This guidance is a useful reference point for Members and officers on the application of the Code.
11. The relevant sections of the guidance are referenced throughout this Code as a useful guide on the application of the code The full guidance is available here: https://www.local.gov.uk/publications/guidance-local-government-association-model-councillor-code-conduct
12. Although the guidance is a useful reference for officers and Members, it will be for the Monitoring Officer in consultation with the Independent Person and/or Standards Advisory Committee as appropriate, (applying the Code), to determine whether a Member has breached it.