Alberto has successfully secured a debate in Parliament on bullying, harassment and standards at local government level. The debate, titled “The Effectiveness of the Nolan Principles in Local Government” will take place on Tuesday 11th March at 11:00am.
The MP insists that with proposed changes to local government structures, it is increasingly urgent that we address how bullying, misconduct, and standards are enforced at the local level.
The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) oversees local government policy and has the power to legislate on standards. However, since the abolition of the Standards Board for England under the Localism Act 2011, concerns have grown about the lack of effective mechanisms to hold local councillors accountable.
The 2019 report by the Committee on Standards in Public Life recommended strengthening the system, including giving councils greater powers to sanction misconduct, such as suspending councillors. Despite these recommendations, the government has yet to act. In the context of local government reform, now is the ideal time to have this debate.
Alberto Costa Member of Parliament for South Leicestershire said:
“Reports of misconduct within councils are increasingly widespread, and this issue demands parliamentary scrutiny. We must not sit by as more and more people are put off from getting into local government because they see it as a toxic environment.
“As Chair of Parliament’s Standards Committee, I am concerned with how to uphold trust in all levels of government. I also see firsthand that elected representatives do, at times, fall short. At all levels of government there must be a robust and consistent framework to resolve disputes and impose sanctions for more serious breaches.”
