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Chapter 52: Member / Officer Relations Protocol
In an open plan office environment Members and officers must be particularly careful to maintain confidentiality and the Council’s meeting rooms and facilities should be used to discuss sensitive or confidential issues.
Section 9 of the Local Government and Housing Act, 1989 gives councils a power to appoint up to 3 political assistants to qualifying political groups. A political assistant undertakes research and provides administrative support to the main political group in the Council. Whilst the Act allows the political affiliation of an individual to be taken into account in the appointment of any Political or Mayor’s Assistant, they remain officers of the Council and must therefore not undertake any activity, which may be deemed unlawful. In this context, it should be realised that officer support to the political groups is in the context of their role in the discharge of Council business and although it may require liaison with political parties, at both local and national level, should not be used in promoting the views of an individual political party or undertaking campaigning or other party political business.
In respect of any ongoing or contemplated proceedings, all enquiries must be addressed to either the appropriate Director or Corporate Director. On no account is the Member to contact any officers involved in the proceedings to discuss or make any enquiries regarding the proceedings.
If an officer has a complaint about a Member it is always preferable to resolve matters informally, through an appropriate senior manager. If the matter cannot be resolved informally or it is not suitable for such then officers can make a complaint to the Monitoring Officer.
Chapter 53: Members’ allowances scheme
The amounts payable shall be the amounts which are for the time being payable to officers of the Council for travelling and subsistence undertaken in the course of their duties.
Chapter 54: Introduction
Officers
Chapter 56: Employee Code of Conduct
An Officer’s off-duty hours are their personal concern but they should not subordinate their duty to their private interests or put themselves in a position where their duty to their private interests conflict. The employing Authority should not attempt to preclude Officers from undertaking additional employment, but any such employment must not, in the view of the Authority conflict with or react detrimentally to the Authority’s confidence in the conduct of the Authority’s business.
Each directorate maintains a confidential register of declarations which must be in writing, giving information about the nature of the interest and the names of the parties and the functions involved. Chief officers and directors are also required to complete returns to be included in a confidential register maintained by Human Resources. These records may be accessed, on application to the monitoring officer, during the process of an investigation if the conduct of an employee is brought into question.
You should exercise discretion in offering and accepting hospitality. You should bear in mind how it might affect your relations with the party offering it and how it might be viewed by elected Members, other potential suppliers/contractors, the public and other officers. The criteria which determine whether you should accept hospitality from firms or other organisations include:
With the exception of minor gifts such as inexpensive calendars, pens or small stationery items, or hospitality such as refreshments during a site visit or an inexpensive working lunch, the acceptance of gifts and/or hospitality must be authorised in advance by a director or chief officer and recorded in writing in the directorate register. Offers that are declined must also be recorded in the register. Directors and Chief Officers are also required to complete the register although they are not required to seek prior authority for any action they decide to take.