Sign Up Now To The Civility & Respect Pledge
It is evident the vast majority of councillors and officers want to maintain the highest standards of conduct at their council, but unfortunately there are still too many examples of poor behaviour across our sector.
In councils where councillors, the clerk, and staff work in harmony, considerable benefits are provided for the local community and there are many excellent examples of this.
Unfortunately, as we know only too well in our sector there is, and has been a problem with lack of civility and respect in some councils, leading to bullying and harassment. Although this is in the minority it is nonetheless significant and can have a serious detrimental impact on the well-being of those involved, the functionality and finances of the council, as well as the local community.
There is no place for bullying, harassment, and intimidation within our sector and signing up to the Civility and Respect Pledge is one of the ways a council can demonstrate that it is committed to standing up to poor behaviour across our sector, and to demonstrate positive changes which support civil and respectful conduct.
By signing the pledge, your council is agreeing that it will treat councillors, clerks, employees, members of the public, representatives of partner organisations, and volunteers with civility and respect in their roles, and it:
- Has put in place a training programme for councillors and staff
- Has signed up to the Code of Conduct for councillors
- Has good governance arrangements in place including staff contracts and a dignity at work policy
- Will seek professional help at early stages should civility and respect issues arise
- Will commit to calling out bullying and harassment if and when it happens
- Will continue to learn from best practice in the sector and aspire to being a role model/champion council
- Supports the continued lobbying for change in legislation to support civility and respect, including sanctions for elected members where appropriate
We invite all councils to include an agenda item to review the statements and sign up to the Civility and Respect Pledge.
Civility & Respect Newsletters
No. 1 November 2021
No. 2 February 2022
No. 3 August 2022
No. 5 November 2022
We invite all councils to include an agenda item to review the statements and sign up to the Civility and Respect Pledge.
New E-learning module developed here in the South West - click here to find out more