About Us
The Standards Commission is an independent body whose purpose is to encourage high ethical standards in public life through the promotion and enforcement of Codes of Conduct for councillors and those appointed to the boards of devolved public bodies.
News and Blog
The Committee on Standards in Public Life's Report "Leading in Practice"
27th January 2023
LEADING IN PRACTICE The Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) has this week published its latest report, entitled ‘Leading in Practice’. The report contains insights from leaders in the public, private and charitable sectors and also includes scenarios based on real examples. It can be downloaded from the CSPL’s website. The report focuses...
Appointment of new Ethical Standards Commissioner
27th January 2023
The Standards Commission is pleased to note that the Scottish Parliament had approved the appointment of Ian Bruce, the Acting Commissioner, as the new Ethical Standards Commissioner. We wish Ian every success in the role and look forward to continuing to work with him and his team.
Blog: Quasi-Judicial and Regulatory Decision-Making
13th January 2023
Why the Councillors’ Code has a Separate Section on Quasi-Judicial and Regulatory Decision-Making Section 7 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct outlines what councillors should do when making decisions on quasi-judicial or regulatory matters. These types of decisions typically involve planning or licensing applications, such as ones concerning planning, alcohol licensing, applications for betting and gaming premises, and taxi licences. Why is...
Festive Office Hours
21st December 2022
The Standards Commission will close for the festive break at 1200 on Friday 23 December 2022, reopening at 0900 on Wednesday 4 January 2023. Season's greetings and all the best for the new year.
Ethical Standards Commissioner - Job Opportunities
21st December 2022
Ethical Standards Commissioner - Job Opportunities The Ethical Standards Commissioner is currently recruiting. You can find out about the roles available on their website, or by clicking the links below: Hearings & Investigations Officer
Standards Update December 2022
20th December 2022
Our latest Standards Update is now available.
Effective Relationships
23rd November 2022
The success of public bodies, including local authorities, in delivering effective services relies in no small part on them having effective relationships with the Government, their key stakeholders and the public. Of equal importance to public bodies’ effectiveness is the existence of strong relationships between board members and employees or, in the case of local government, between councillors and officers. Mutual respect, communication and, above all trust, between these rol...
Recruitment of two new Commission Members
15th November 2022
The Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body is seeking to appoint, with the agreement of the Scottish Parliament, two part-time Members of the Standards Commission. More information and the application pack can be found here. The closing date for receipt of applic...
Freedom of Expression
14th November 2022
Freedom of Expression You may have heard the terms ‘freedom of expression’ or ‘freedom of speech’ before, often used in the context of politics and public life. But what does freedom of expression mean, why is it important, and does it have limits? What does freedom of expression mean? The right to freedom of expression is not a new concept – it is understood that a democratic principle of ‘free speech’ m...
The Ethical Standards Commissioner’s Public Consultation on its draft Investigations Manual
10th November 2022
The Ethical Standards Commissioner (ESC) is currently seeking the public's views on its draft Investigations Manual, which consolidates all of the procedures and policies for the different types of complaints that are within its remit. This includes complaints about the conduct of Councillors and Members of devolved bodies. The Standards Commission welcomes the introduction of the manual and the opportunity to provide comments on it.
