Standards at Rochford District Council

The council's ethical framework is the set of rules and procedures which set out the standards of behaviour that the council expects of its councillors and officers. It also deals with the way in which councillors and officers should relate to one another.

The present arrangements are derived from the Localism Act 2011 and are overseen by the council's Audit and Governance Committee.

Rochford District Council's Monitoring Officer is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the standards arrangements.

The following outlines various aspects of the ethical framework that governs standards at Rochford.

The Constitution

The constitution sets out the basic rules governing the council’s business. Detailed responsibilities, procedures and codes of practice also appear within in the document.

The constitution can be downloaded from the Related Content section.

The Code of Conduct for Members

Every council is required to adopt a code of conduct that sets out the rules governing the behaviour of its members. All elected members (councillors) and co-opted members must agree to be bound by the code upon accepting office.

Rochford District Council has also adopted a Code of Conduct for its own staff.

The Code of Conduct for Members and Officers (Constitution Part 5) can be downloaded from the Related Content section.

At its meeting on 26 July 2022, Rochford District Council agreed to adopt the Local Government Association Model Code of Conduct with effect from 1 August 2022. The Code can be read within the Related Content section of this page as well as in the papers presented to the 26 July 2022 meeting of Council.

Register of Members' Interests

All councillors are obliged to record their financial interests in a register. Information on the kind of interests that must be registered can be found in the Members’ Code of Conduct. The register is immediately available online. For those members of the public who do not have access to a computer, an appointment can be made to view the register at the council offices.

The Council’s Standards Committee

The council's Audit and Governance Committee is responsible for promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct by councillors and co-opted Members. Its role also includes giving the Council advice on adopting a Local Code of Conduct, monitoring the effectiveness of the Code and training Members on the Code.
Independent Persons have been appointed by the council, as required by the Localism Act, to provide advice and guidance on standards.
The agenda, reports and minutes of Audit and Governance Committee meetings can be viewed on the council's website: Rochford Committee Management System (CMIS) > Committees

The Monitoring Officer

The Monitoring Officer is appointed under Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and has a number of statutory functions as well as those conferred under the Local Government Act 2000 and regulations governing local investigations into Member conduct.

The Monitoring Officer is required to prepare a report to Council where it appears to him that the authority has or is about to do anything which would be in contravention of the law or which would constitute maladministration.

Before publishing any report, the Monitoring Officer is under a duty to consult with the Chief Executive and the Section 151 Officer. Depending upon whether or not the function concerned is an executive one, the report has to be considered either by Full Council or by the Executive and the publication of the report has the effect of suspending the proposed action pending consideration of the report.

Complaints about Councillors

Rochford District Council’s Standards Committee deals with complaints that a councillor or a co-opted member of the following Councils has broken the Member’s Code of Conduct.

Please see the links for information and guidance on how to make a complaint about a Member and to download a Code of Conduct Complaints Form.