The Council of Europe's anti-corruption body has called on the UK to strengthen codes of conduct and integrity training for local councillors, as part of a wider evaluation of anti-corruption safeguards at local government level.
Published today, the report by the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) assesses measures at the Greater London Authority and Kent County Council, which volunteered for the review, and finds the UK has a well-developed framework for preventing corruption.
GRECO praised several good practices, including binding codes of conduct, rigorous procurement procedures, detailed gifts and hospitality policies, and proactive information publication.
Recommendations for improvement
GRECO's report made six recommendations for improvement:
• clearer sanctions for code of conduct breaches by elected representatives
• confidential integrity advice for staff
• strengthened integrity training for councillors
• greater transparency in lobbying
• full operational status for the new local audit office
• a legal requirement to publish councillors' gifts and hospitality, including explicit ‘nil returns’ where none were received.
The recommendations are addressed to both national and local authorities, with GRECO noting that implementation will require close coordination given the UK's constitutional and institutional structure.
