Localism Bill

We are back on track on an issue which we covered in some of the previous debate. I hope that I have made the position of the Government clear on the Standards Board and the unwillingness of the Government to take the position of imposing a code of conduct on councillors from the centre. The philosophy of the coalition is that the Localism Bill means what it says. It is up to local authorities to present the conduct of their public duties in a way that is to the satisfaction of the electorates that they represent. In no way does that imply that misconduct can be approved of but it is for local authorities to determine what measures they put in place to effect a code of conduct.