Reflecting on RBWM’s Code of Conduct

One of the most popular pages on the ilovewindsor.co.uk website is the page referring to the 7 Principles of Public life aka The Nolan Principles with 3,300 page views.

At the last full council meeting I put forward a motion that Councillors run a respectful election campaign and this was voted through unanimously.

Councillor Johnson added a caveat. That while being respectful, election candidates could be robust in their debate.

I was therefore disappointed to see that the current leader of the Conservatives Councillor Andrew Johnson posted on Facebook yesterday evening, on the first day of purdah, (see note below) about Councillor John Baldwin’s (LibDem) Code of Conduct. And then proceeds to call for Cllr Baldwin’s expulsion and for Cllr Werner to resign. Is this simply robust debate? Of course it is in the public interest for residents to know of any incidents or behaviour that could impact the public trust.

Interestingly the page on which the code of conduct detail is published also includes last year’s decision notice against Councillor Ross McWilliams which is arguably worse in terms of public interest. This was not mentioned on the FB post.

When I first became a Councillor a number of CoC complaints were filed against me by the opposition but every single one failed because sometimes they are used like confetti, throwing them at the other Councillors to goad them or to try and get some mud to stick. Initially I was very embarrassed and frustrated by these allegations but after going through the process I realised that often they were simply part of political point scoring.

While there are a handful of serious CoC claims made each year, many more claims are made and best viewed as a childish game. They waste the legal team’s time and there are no repercussions for the challenger. They cannot be named and shamed for wasting everyone’s time. Most are absolutely pointless and I would suggest that the constitution needs re-evaluating if it is to add any real value to the process of running a council. 

In the interests of transparency, having a list of those who have filed claims that have failed would be a sensible starting point so residents can see who is potentially wasting council tax payers money.

I thought it would be useful to publish about Purdah, the Nolan Principles and how they are adapted in the RBWM constitution.

What does purdah mean for Councillors?

Purdah is the period in the run-up to an election when there is a restriction in place on Councils publicising the views of political parties, issuing press releases or promoting initiatives with quotes or photos from particular councillors as this could be seen to unfairly promote one particular political party.

The Nolan Principles

The Seven Principles of Public Life, also known as the Nolan Principles after the committee’s first chairman. The principles were Selflessness, Integrity, Objectivity, Accountability, Openness, Honesty and Leadership.

General principles of councillor conduct 

Everyone in public office at all levels; all who serve the public or deliver public services, including ministers, civil servants, councillors and local authority officers; should uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life, also known as the Nolan Principles. 

Building on these principles, the following general principles have been developed specifically for the role of councillor. In accordance with the public trust placed in me, on all occasions: 

• I act with integrity and honesty 

• I act lawfully 

• I treat all persons fairly and with respect; and 

• I lead by example and act in a way that secures public confidence in the role of councillor. In undertaking my role: 

• I impartially exercise my responsibilities in the interests of the local community 

• I do not improperly seek to confer an advantage, or disadvantage, on any person Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Constitution Part 7A Part 7A – 3 

• I avoid conflicts of interest 

• I exercise reasonable care and diligence; and 

• I ensure that public resources are used prudently in accordance with my local authority’s requirements and in the public interest.

Thank you.

Jon