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
Objectivity
9th August 2022
Importance of Objectivity One of the key principles of public life, commonly known as the ‘Nolan Principles’, is objectivity. The key principle of objectivity obliges those in public life, including politicians, to make decisions solely on merit, impartially and without discrimination or bias. Local government councillors and members of devolved public bodies make decisions that affect all communities and everyone’s daily lives. These include d...
What is Lobbying?
30th June 2022
What is Lobbying? Lobbying is a word that is frequently mentioned in the news, particularly in connection to politicians. But do many people know what it means and whether it is allowed? “Lobbying” is the term used to describe where an individual, organisation or a group tries to influence politicians and other elected representatives to support a particular policy or make a certain decision. Lobbying can be done in person, by sending letters...
Leadership and Culture
31st May 2022
Leadership and Culture One of the key principles of public life (sometimes known as ‘the Nolan principles’) is leadership. Holders of public office, including politicians, should demonstrate the other key principles of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness and honesty in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. Those in public life are required to actively promote and robustly support the key principles and to challenge poor behaviour wh...
Glossary of commonly used words and terms
25th May 2022
The Standards Commission has produced a list or glossary of the abbreviations and technical terms it uses, with an explanation of what each means.
Representation
2nd May 2022
With recent news stories highlighting the issues faced by women in politics, it is timely to pause and consider the consequences. Despite over a century having passed since women have had the right to stand for election, they remain underrepresented at both national and local levels. As it stands[1], only 35% of MPs in Westminster and 29% of local councillors in Scotland are female. Representation in the Scottish Parliament is slightly better at 45%, but is still short of a 50/50 split...
Surveys of Standards Officers and Board Members of Public Bodies
28th April 2022
The Standards Commission issued surveys today to all Standards Officers and Board Members of public bodies asking about their experiences with the ethical standards framework and in particular members compliance with, and awareness of, the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct. We intend to use the information gathered to inform any future training events and/or identify the need for any further educational material or guidance. We are also keen to see if we can improve how we handle enquir...
Summary of Councillors and Monitoring Officers Survey Responses
27th April 2022
The Standards Commission issued surveys to councillors and the Monitoring Officers of all 32 Scottish local authorities in February 2022. The intention was to learn about both councillors’ and Monitoring Officers’ experiences with the ethical standards framework and, in particular, their experiences of elected members’ compliance with, and awareness of, the provisions of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct. The Standards Commission intends to use information gathered to i...
Social Media: Avoid the Pitfalls!
1st April 2022
We have previously noted in this blog that social media has huge advantages in terms of enabling those in public life to engage and interact with the public directly. It gives politicians and members of devolved public bodies an effective way of informing the public about the work their council or public body is proposing or undertaking, and allows them to engage with the public on policy issues. As we all know social media can also be used to combat misinformation and win over hearts...
Standards Update March 2022
31st March 2022
Our latest Standards Update is now available.
Outcome of Appeal to Court of Session
11th March 2022
The Court of Session considered an appeal made by Councillor Mack of Renfrewshire Council against a decision by the Standards Commission to disqualify him for 16 months for a breach of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct. The Court determined that the disqualification period should be to 10 months, reduced to account for the period already served. The Court stated that it agree that with the Panel’s assessment that a disqualification was an appropriate sanction and noted: “that...
