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 Ethical Standards Framework
9th February 2023
Did you know that Scotland has an ethical standards framework? What is the ethical standards framework? Has one always been in place? The framework was introduced by the Ethical Standards in Public Life etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 (the 2000 Act), which was one of the first pieces of legislation enacted by the Scottish Parliament. The 2000 Act provided for the introduction of a
The Auditor General’s Report on the Ethical Standards Commissioner: Statement from the Standards Commission for Scotland
31st January 2023
The Standards Commission's statement on the Auditor General’s Report on the Ethical Standards Commissioner can be found here.
Social Impact Pledge
30th January 2023
The Standards Commission has signed up to a Social Impact Pledge, which is aimed at increasing the social impact of public sector organisations in Scotland. The pledge is a Scottish Government initiative that asks public sector organisations to commit to increasing their social impact by making a public commitment to change their current operations or policies. The pledge should include actions that the organisation was not already undertaking. The Standards Commission has pledg...
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...
