Annual Assembly of Standards Committees

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Annual Assembly of Standards Committees
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Putting the public in the picture

• Nick Molyneux, Communications Manager, Rossendale
• District Council
• Tony Quinlan, Chief Storyteller, Relate
• Richard Scott, Head of External Affairs,
  Standards for
• England (chair)

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Web quiz

• Your authoritys website will be the first place
  most people look for information
• How did you score?
• Use the website for proactive promotion and good
  news as well as basic information

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Example

• Thorough
• Attractive layout
• Clear
• www.stratford.gov.uk

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Example

• Positive
• Proactive
• www.stratford.gov.uk

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Example

• Link from homepage
• www.herefordshire.gov.uk

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Example

• Thorough
• Clear
• www.newcastle.gov.uk

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Communicating standards

• Nick Molyneux

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Consider your audience

• Is it something they want to know about?
• Why should they bother?
• What can you do to make it relevant?

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Our approach 1/2

• Top down commitment and political will
• Governance Working Group
• SAS - Serious About Standards
• Annual Governance Report
• Regular meetings between the communications team,
  the monitoring officer and the chair of the
  standards committee
• Media protocol to be agreed

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Our approach 2/2

• SAS - Serious About Standards
• Challenging and changing the culture - training
• Councillors willing to learn and develop
• High profile proactive monitoring officer
• Wide remit for the standards committee
• Monitoring, reviewing and influencing policies
  and procedures
• Ethical culture integral to member development
  and HR strategies
• Clarity on member/officer roles and
  responsibilities
• Working with the Audit Commission
• Regular and consistent reinforcement and
  communication

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Internal communications One way

• Existing communications channels
• Standards Committee Bulletin
• Standards Committee Annual Report
• Role descriptions for councillors portfolio
  holders, protocols for monitoring officer,
  Section 151 officer, standards committee
• Specific information booklets to staff and
  councillors
• Election advice note circulated to councillors
  and council staff
• DVDs from Standards for England

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Internal communications Two way

• Would-be councillors briefing on Code of Conduct
  standards
• Member induction 1-2-1 with monitoring officer
• Member briefings on declaring interests
• Employee induction
• Governance champions
• Lively and stimulating interactive training
• Ethical governance training for members and
  officers
• E-Learning module on the Code of Conduct
• Handheld voting sets test awareness of code of
  conduct
• Ethical standards training for election staff
  volunteers

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Audit and Review checking that people
understand
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External communications

• Informed people more likely to challenge/hold you
  to account
• Proactive communications on standards to raise
  awareness, improve reputation boost public
  confidence

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External communications

• Use existing communication channels e.g.
• residents newsletter, media relations, council
  website
• Know your Councillor booklet to residents
• Standards committee Bulletin website, One Stop
  Shop
• Standards committee Annual Report
• Local Democracy Week
• Locally produced benefit fraud posters
• Stakeholder communications

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What weve achieved

• Resident satisfaction up 8- trust is key factor
• Voter turnout increased by 1
• Fewer Ombudsman complaints fewer upheld
• Positive CPA inspection report - July 2007

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Handling the media Preparation

• Preparation is the key to success
• Develop a relationship with the Comms Team
• Produce a local media protocol
• Use the Standards for England toolkit
• Consider the rights of the councillor under
  investigation including the right to a fair
  hearing
• Be as open and transparent as you can be - not
  all elements of a case should be confidential
• Protocol agreed by standards committee
  councillors
• Brief the local press on what the standards
  committee does and the media protocol
• Alert Comms about forthcoming standards hearings

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Handling the media Approach

• Develop a clear message - use Plain English
• Engage constructively through the comms team
• Explain reasons why you may not be able to
  comment
• Use hypothetical standards cases and frequently
  asked questions to help journalists understand
  where you are and what might happen next
• Be firm with them - you probably wont be able to
  give them exactly what they want
• Challenge inaccuracies - but dont expect them to
  print exactly what you want
• If criticism of the council is justified then
  acknowledge the fault and demonstrate the action
  taken in response

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Media scenario 1

• Situation
• A copy of the investigating officers report is
  leaked to the press before
• a standards hearing has taken place. It has found
  evidence of a breach
• of the code of conduct.
• Response
• Say that you will be getting the police involved
  to investigate who leaked the report
• Refuse to comment
• Say that regardless of what the investigation
  report says the councillor has a right to a fair
  hearing and the standards hearing will listen to
  all the available evidence
• Promise the paper an exclusive if they wait until
  after the hearing has been concluded

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Media scenario 2

• Situation
• A councillor is under investigation for fiddling
  her car mileage. She
• goes to the press to say that she is innocent and
  that the investigation
• is politically motivated
• Response
• Refuse to comment
• Refer them to her Party Leader for comment
• Confirm an investigation is underway and provide
  information about how the council handles
  standards issues
• Say that councillors arent as bad as journalists
  at fiddling expenses

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Case study Cllr X 1/4

• Allegation that a Councillor circulated an email
  making inappropriate and unsubstantiated comments
  about the probity of the planning department.
• Standards investigation followed by hearing,
  January 2009.
• Not the first standards hearing in Rossendale
• But the first with the serious possibility of a
  suspension
• Councillor found to have significantly breached
  the code
• The members actions had failed to treat others
  with respect and brought the council into
  disrepute
• Suspended for 3 weeks
• Training/development required before resuming his
  duties

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Case study Cllr X 2/4

• Media strategy and key messages discussed
• communications manager, standards chair and
  monitoring officer
• Standards for England Press Toolkit
• The member involved was kept informed of press
  enquiries
• Press release issued following the hearing
  includes
• The date of the hearing
• Who the allegations had been made against
• The nature of the breach of the Code of Conduct
• The specific paragraphs that had been breached
• The conclusion - decision to suspend further
  training
• Links to the Code of Conduct
• Context and key messages quote from standards
  chair issued through the communications team

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Case study Cllr X 3/4

• Context and key messages
• Council public expect high standards from
  councillors
• Robust system to identify and investigate conduct
• Standards committee willing to use its powers
• A thorough investigation and fair hearing
  evidence
• Context - first suspension - standards generally
  high
• Suspension shows we take standards seriously
• Sanction consistent with the seriousness of the
  breach
• The independence of the chair adds credibility as
  a media source

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Case study Cllr X 4/4

• Outcome
• Media reporting generally factual
• Succeeded in getting our message across
• about the hearing and suspension
• most importantly the overall context

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Five things to do next

• Go and meet your Comms team
• Develop and agree a media protocol
• Agree a plan to communicate/engage staff and
  councillors in standards issues
• Conquer your fears - media training for the
  standards chair and monitoring officer
• Develop clear messages
• think principles, not processes and structures
• dont get bogged down in the detail
• what does it mean for the person on the street

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News quiz

• Can you guess the missing word?
• COUNCILLOR IN WINK ROW

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News quiz

• Can you guess the missing word?
• COUNCILLOR IN WINK ROW

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News quiz

• Can you guess the missing word?
• FRESH CLAIMS IN PUMPKINGATE SCANDAL

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News quiz

• Can you guess the missing word?
• FRESH CLAIMS IN PUMPKINGATE SCANDAL

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News quiz

• Can you guess the missing word?
• NAZI SALUTE LANDS COUNCILLOR IN HOT WATER

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News quiz

• Can you guess the missing word?
• NAZI SALUTE LANDS COUNCILLOR IN HOT WATER

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Positive press - examples

• Proactive
• Creative
• Strong angle
• Waveney District Council

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Positive press - examples

• Proactive
• Informative
• Simple
• Gloucestershire County Council

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Positive press - examples

• Comment piece
• Standards committee chair
• Calderdale Council

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Putting the public in the picture

• Nick Molyneux, Communications Manager, Rossendale
• District Council
• Tony Quinlan, Chief Storyteller, Relate
• Richard Scott, Head of External Affairs,
  Standards for
• England (chair)

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Annual Assembly of Standards Committees