Government review highlights Bromsgrove

Bromsgrove District Council’s work towards raising standards has been highlighted as good practice in Standards for England’s annual review.

The Council was one of five authorities selected as a case study of good practice in the review after Standards for England gathered evidence from annual reports made by all local authorities across the country.

Key points recognised in the review include:

• The work and high public profile of the Council’s Standards Committee, which promotes high standards of conduct by members and officers and provides a mechanism for dealing with any complaints
• The explicit measurement of performance on standards through responses by the public to the Council’s annual survey
• The proactive approach of the Council to addressing development needs of parish councils
• The communication of standards issues, working with local media and through its residents’ magazine Together Bromsgrove
• The demonstrable commitment of the Council to standards with a full time officer appointed to deal specifically with standards and ethics related work.

Bromsgrove District Council’s Monitoring Officer and Head of Legal, Equalities and Democratic Services Claire Felton said: “This is a wonderful accolade and testament to the hard work and professionalism shown by the team. We have undergone a massive transformation in the way that governance is managed throughout the Council and can be really proud of what we have achieved.”

Standards for England is the new name for the Standards Board for England, which seeks to champion and promote high standards of conduct amongst local politicians.

Standards for England Annual Review (pdf)