Following what seems like weeks of government u-turns, the committee on standards in public life (CSPL) has urged the Government to make one more.

In a recent letter to the secretary of state for levelling up, housing and communities, the committee’s chair, Lord Evans has urged a reconsideration of the rejection earlier this year of many recommendations from a 2019 report by the standards watchdog.

A key proposal refused by the Government is the reinstatement of powers for councils to suspend councillors without allowances for up to six months, for breaches of the code of conduct, with councillors afforded a right of appeal against a suspension to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. 

The implementation of the Localism Act 2011 and the abolition of the standards board left local councils with very limited powers to sanction councillors for poor behaviour and there have long since been calls for the strengthening of local government standards arrangements.  

Lord Evans has said the committee would welcome a conversation about how the Government will take forward its stated aim of working with local authorities to reinforce its reputation for ethical local standards. 

Recent public interest reports have highlighted weak governance, poor standards of councillor conduct and poor relationships between officers and councillors as significant factors in the loss of millions of pounds of public money by several local authorities, and Lord Evans reiterates that local governance arrangements must command public confidence. 

Amid a cost of living crisis, questions abounding over levelling up and local authorities facing ever-increasing financial pressures, demands to do more for less and an increasing focus on their stewardship of public money, could now be the time for the Government to revisit the committee’s recommendations and consider them part of the bigger picture?      

Lord Evans' letter, the 2019 CSPL Report and the Government's initial response can be accessed here.