Standards Bulletin June 2026

This edition of the standards bulletin for North Yorkshire Council sets out the latest developments in the national standards regime. Members’ attention is particularly drawn to the legislative changes regarding registration and publication of Members’ usual residential addresses.

Members will continue be kept informed of all ethical framework developments.

Should you wish to discuss any standards matter, please do not hesitate to contact the Monitoring Officer or any of his team.

Councillor Clive Pearson
Chair of the Standards and Governance Committee

In this issue:

members’ expenses
interests’ regime
sensitive interests
bias, predetermination, predisposition
members’ gifts and hospitality
social media and the Members’ Code of Conduct

Standing guidance for members

Members’ expenses

Members are reminded to include sufficient details in their expense claims and to submit them in a timely manner to avoid submitting multiple claims at the same time where possible.

Members should have regard to the current scheme of approved duties and the protocol on members’ attendance at conferences published in part 6 of the constitution, published on our decision making at the council page.

Interests’ regime

Under the council’s code of conduct for members, the following interests’ regime applies.

Registration of interests

Members must register the following interests within 28 days of election/appointment:

disclosable pecuniary interests of the member and their spouse/partner who they live with and
other registrable interests (ORIs) of the member and keep their interests under review, registering any changes within 28 days

A pecuniary interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI) if it is of a description specified in regulations, for instance:

employment, office, trade, profession or vocation (for profit or gain)
sponsorship
contracts
land
licenses
corporate tenancies
securities

Please see the code for the detailed descriptions.

And either:

(a) it is the member’s interest or

(b) an interest of the member’s spouse or civil partner or a person with whom the member is living with as such and the member is aware of the interest

From 29 June 2026, the law is changing so that councillors’ usual residential address must not be published in the public register of members’ interests unless members specifically request their address be published. Further information about this change is contained later in this bulletin.

Members may request to have, for example, their home address treated as sensitive and not disclosed in the register of interests or in their contact details on the council website if they feel this is necessary for their personal safety or that of someone connected to them.

Please see the later section in the bulletin on sensitive interests and contact the Monitoring Officer to discuss any concerns in this regard.

Should members have any immediate concerns around member safety, please contact the Head of Democratic Services and Scrutiny to discuss.

Other registrable interests (ORIs) are:

1. Unpaid directorships.

2. Any body of which you are a member or are in a position of general control or management and to which you are nominated or appointed by your authority.

3. Any body:

exercising functions of a public nature
directed to charitable purposes or
one of whose principal purposes includes the influence of public opinion or policy (including any political party or trade union/professional association)

of which you are a member or in a position of general control or management.

The register of members’ interests is maintained by the Monitoring Officer and is generally available for public inspection during office hours at County Hall, Northallerton. It is published on our your councillors page.

Members must, within 28 days of becoming aware of a new interest or a change to an existing interest, register the necessary details electronically via the ModGov committee software system.

Participation re interests

Disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs)

A member may not participate in the discussion of, or vote on, council business directly relating to a disclosable pecuniary interests and must declare the existence and nature of the interest and withdraw from the meeting room at the start of the item (unless a dispensation is granted).

Other registrable interests (ORIs)

Where a matter arises at a meeting which directly relates to the financial interest or wellbeing of one of the member’s other registrable interests, then the member must declare the existence and nature of the interest, can speak on the matter if the public can and then must withdraw from the meeting room (unless a dispensation is granted).

Non-registrable interests (NRIs)

These are interests which are not required to be registered in the register of members’ interests (for instance, interests other than disclosable pecuniary interests and other registrable interests):

which directly relate to the member’s financial interest or wellbeing, or that of a relative or close associate (of which the member could reasonably be expected to be aware) or
which affect the member’s financial interest or well-being or that of a relative or close associate or of a body included under other registrable interests (of which the member could reasonably be expected to be aware)

For non-registrable interests falling under category 1 above, the member must declare the existence and nature of the interest, can speak on the matter if the public can and then must withdraw from the meeting room (unless a dispensation is granted).

For non-registrable interests falling under category 2 above, the member must declare the existence and nature of the interest, and then consider the ‘prejudicial interest’ test to determine if and how they may participate:

where the matter affects the financial interest or wellbeing more than it affects that of the majority of inhabitants of the ward affected and a reasonable member of the public knowing all the facts would believe that it would affect the member’s view of the wider public interest, then the member can speak if the public can, but must not take part in any discussion/vote and must leave room (unless a dispensation is granted)
where the matter does not so affect the financial interest or wellbeing, then the member may speak and vote in the usual way

If a dispensation is granted to a member, the member must still declare the existence and nature of the interest and the fact they are relying on a dispensation to the meeting.

What is the difference between ‘relates to’ and ‘affects’?

Something ‘relates to’ a member’s interest if it is directly about it, for example, the matter being discussed is an application about a particular property in which the member or somebody associated with them or an outside body they have registered has a financial interest.

‘Affects’ means the matter is not directly about that interest but nevertheless, the matter has clear implications for the interest – for example, it is a planning application for a neighbouring property which will result in it overshadowing the member’s property. An interest can of course affect you, your family or close personal associates positively and negatively. So, if you or they have the potential to gain or lose from a matter under consideration, an interest would need to be declared in both situations.

Please note:

A member commits a criminal offence if, without reasonable excuse, they

fail to:
- register disclosable pecuniary interests
- disclose an interest to a meeting where required
- notify the Monitoring Officer of an interest disclosed to a meeting
participate in any discussion or vote where prohibited
an individual member decision taker takes any steps in relation to a matter where prohibited

A member also commits a criminal offence if, in relation to the registration/disclosure of disclosable pecuniary interests, they provide information that is false or misleading and:

know that the information is false or misleading, or
are reckless as to whether the information is true and not misleading

A court may also disqualify the person, for a period not exceeding five years, for being or becoming (by election or otherwise) a member or co-opted member of the relevant authority in question or any other relevant authority.

Please therefore keep your interests form under review to ensure it is up to date.

Interests’ issues are ultimately members’ responsibility.

NB. Even if something is not a code issue, always bear in mind the rules relating to bias, predetermination and predisposition.

If you are in any doubt as to your position, please contact the Monitoring Officer or any of his team.

Sensitive interests

You do not need to register or declare the details of an interest which you and the Monitoring Officer have agreed is sensitive.

A “sensitive interest” is any interest (whether or not a disclosable pecuniary interest) where disclosure of the details could lead to you, or a person connected with you, being subject to violence or intimidation.

The existence of an interest must still be registered/declared but not any detail in relation to it.

Should you feel that any of your interests are sensitive given any prevailing circumstances, please contact the Monitoring Officer immediately to discuss.

Bias, predetermination, predisposition

Members involved in making a decision on particular business must always bear in mind the rules relating to bias and predetermination and must not participate in, or seek to influence, council business where their interests may prejudice, or appear to prejudice, their views.

Predetermination occurs where a fair minded and well informed observer, looking objectively at all the circumstances, considers there is a real risk that a decision maker has refused to consider a relevant argument or would refuse.

Possible examples of bias or predetermination are:

connection with someone affected by a decision
improper involvement of someone with an interest in the outcome
prior involvement in a matter
commenting before a decision is made

However, the Localism Act 2011 makes it clear that a member is not to be taken to have had, or to have appeared to have had, a closed mind when making a decision just because they had previously done anything that directly or indirectly indicated what view they took, or would or might take, in relation to a matter; this would amount to predisposition to a view and is acceptable. This ensures that members can freely discuss issues, including expressing a view and/or campaigning on an issue, and then later speak or vote on those issues.

Unless there is positive evidence of a closed mind, prior observations or apparent favouring of a particular decision is unlikely to suffice as predetermination.

Members are entitled to have and express their own views, as long as they are prepared to reconsider their position in the light of all the evidence and arguments. They must not give the impression that their mind is closed.

Members’ gifts and hospitality

Members’ gifts and hospitality are recorded with their register of interests, electronically via the ModGov committee software system.

Under the council’s code of conduct, you should not accept gifts/hospitality, of any value, which could create an impression of obligation upon you or the council or substantive personal gain or propensity to show favour. You should inform the Monitoring Officer of any such offers.

Otherwise, you should register any gifts/hospitality received or offered worth £25 or more.

Should you have any queries in relation to the registration of any gifts or hospitality received/offered, then please feel free to contact the Monitoring Officer or any of his team.

Social media and the members’ code of conduct

Social media is an important means of communication and engagement, however the use of social media frequently features in many of the standards complaints received by the Monitoring Officer.

Aspects of the members’ code of conduct will apply to your online activity, as in other communications, if you are, or appear to be, acting in your capacity as a councillor, rather than a private individual. The same standards of conduct apply online as would be expected offline.

The key issue is whether you are acting in your official capacity as a councillor when using your social media platforms. Be clear as to the capacity in which you are posting, official or private.

Use of the title “councillor” may give rise to an inference that you are acting in your official capacity when the code can be engaged.

If you publish information you can only access as a member, you are likely to be viewed as acting in your official capacity.

“These are ordinary descriptive English words. Their application is inevitably fact sensitive and so whether or not a person is so acting inevitably calls for informed judgment by reference to the facts of a given case. This also means that there is the potential for two decision makers, both taking the correct approach, to reach different decisions.”

You may wish to set up different social media accounts for your private life and councillor role to maintain professional boundaries.

You are personally responsible for the content you publish on social media, in the same way that you are responsible for letters or emails you send. It is less formal but is still a form of communication and posts can be capable of being misunderstood - the immediacy of social media can magnify this problem.

Being misunderstood is likely to lead to rapid and wide broadcasting (particularly with something perceived as being more controversial than was intended) almost instantly.

Be approachable, polite and respectful in your language and tone. Irony and sarcasm are very difficult to convey in writing and therefore should be avoided, as should profanity.

We have a social media policy available on the council’s intranet, which members may find helpful.

Members should ensure that they are familiar with the provisions and that they do not put the council’s systems and information at risk, or be damaging to the reputation of the council or the office of member.

Latest news

Update on government consultation on strengthening the standards regime

Members have previously been briefed regarding the government’s response to the consultation, read the Strengthening the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England results and government response on Gov.uk with the government intending to "legislate for a whole system reform of the current regime as set out in Localism Act 2011" when parliamentary time permits.

In the recently published king’s speech, there was no mention of reforms to the standards regime as had been expected. There is therefore no clear indication of when the legislative changes will be made.

Members will be kept informed of developments.

Publication of councillors’ usual residential address

Section 65 of the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 amends the Localism Act 2011 with the effect that from 29 June 2026, councillors’ usual residential address must not be published in the public register of members’ interests unless members specifically request their address be published (‘opting in’).

The address must, however, still be registered confidentially with the Monitoring Officer, even if it is to be withheld from publication.

The legal change aims to improve councillor safety, reduce risks of harassment, modernise transparency rules and ensure that personal data is handled proportionately.

The Monitoring Officer has now started the process to comply with the new rules in advance of 29 June 2026.

The Monitoring Officer is contacting all North Yorkshire Council councillors and all Parish Clerks for parish/town councils in the North Yorkshire area, to explain that if a councillor’s usual residential address is currently published in the public Register of Interests and on the council’s website, it will be deleted by the Monitoring Officer and treated as a sensitive interest leading up to 29 June 2026 (unless councillors let the Monitoring Officer know otherwise) and the following wording will be added in its place in the Register (for transparency purposes):

“The usual residential address interest is withheld from publication under section 32(2) of the Localism Act 2011. From 29 June 2026, the interest is withheld under section 32A Localism Act 2011.”

If a different residential address for a spouse/partner is listed on a councillor’s interests form, this will be deleted as a sensitive interest by the Monitoring Officer (unless the councillor lets the Monitoring Officer know otherwise) and the following transparency wording added in its place:

“There is a further interest under this section, the details of which are withheld from publication under section 32(2) of the Localism Act 2011.”

Regarding Members who have multiple land interests registered in their interests form, for the purposes of the legislation a councillor may only have one usual residential address. Such Members will therefore need to confirm to the Monitoring Officer which of their registered interests they consider to be their usual residential address and whether they want to opt in to publication of it in the public register and on the website. Other land interests which a Member believes to be sensitive may still be treated as a sensitive interest if agreed as such with the Monitoring Officer.

Members who choose to opt in to registering their usual residential address in the public register and on the website may withdraw this later: the process is fluid and Members may opt in and out at any time by confirmation in writing to the Monitoring Officer.

Members who are members of other authorities should liaise with the relevant officer of that authority regarding registration issues for that authority.

The Standards and Governance Committee is considering the amendments which may be required to the council’s Code of Conduct for Members in light of this legislative change.

Any amendments to the council’s code of conduct for members must be approved by full council and there must be such publicity as the authority considers is likely to bring the changes to the attention of persons who live in its area.

Members will be kept informed of developments.

Ethics and Integrity Commission – review into lobbying, disclosure and access to government

Members have previously been briefed regarding the establishment in October 2025 of the new ethics and Integrity commission, to oversee the ethical standards of ministers and public officials and “drive up standards in public life”, change the ministerial severance arrangements and the business appointment rules.

The chair of the commission has written to the Prime Minister regarding the request for the commission to review lobbying, disclosure and access to government, welcoming the review.

The commission states it is “an opportunity to look again at the rules, processes and transparency that support high standards. These are areas where we, as the Committee on Standards in Public Life, have previously made recommendations. Many of which have remained unimplemented by successive governments. We will revisit these and look to build on that work, whilst taking into account new evidence and wider changes.”

Read the review into lobbying, disclosure, and access to government on Gov.uk.

The commission aims to publish the final report “before the summer recess, focussing on the areas the commission believes it can have the greatest impact.”

Ethics and Integrity Commission – Ombudsman review

On 3 March 2026, the commission announced a review of the public sector ombudsman system.

The chair of the commission stated that ““We want to look at whether the powers the public sector ombudsman have, and the way they currently operate, enables them to pick up themes and highlight developing problems in our institutions. This review, along with our work on codes of conduct and their oversight mechanisms within public authorities, is intended to raise standards to drive better outcomes for citizens.” The call for evidence closed on 30 April 2026.

The aim of the review is to "look at whether public service ombudsman schemes should play an enhanced role in investigating systemic issues before they escalate and supporting public bodies to instigate swift and meaningful improvements to public services.”

Further information:

Local Government Association guidance on member-officer relations protocol

The Local Government Association (LGA) has published an online good practice guidance on member-officer relations protocols "Good practice guidance on member-officer relations protocols" on the Local Government Association website – with the aim of helping members and senior officers to set and promote clear expectations about how members and officers work together for the benefit of local residents and good governance of the authority.

The Local Government Association states in the introduction that “Effective working relationships between elected members and officers are fundamental to public service delivery and good governance in local government. They foster mutual respect, clarify roles and enable constructive challenge, which support ethical decision-making, delivery and accountability. Elected members and officers have vital, complementary roles. Elected members provide democratic leadership, set strategic direction, hold decision makers to account and represent the interests of their communities. Officers bring professional expertise, impartial advice, and operational capability to support informed decision-making and delivery. Together, they ensure that public services are delivered economically, efficiently and effectively, in line with local needs and priorities.”

The Local Government Association guidance covers:

how can a member-officer relations protocol help?
legislative context
principles of effective member-officer relations
principle 1: Ethical conduct
principle 2: Mutual respect and trust
principle 3: Clear and well understood roles and responsibilities
principle 4: Visible leadership
what do member-officer relations protocols include?
creating or reviewing the protocol
embedding the protocol
monitoring the protocol

The standards and governance committee is looking at the guidance in the context of the council’s existing protocol for member/officer relations.

Intimidation in public life

The government has announced its intention to launch a new national police unit to identify and target offenders who threaten or harass election candidates.

It will “bring together specialist officers and intelligence experts to monitor reports of abuse from across the country - identifying repeat offenders and helping police forces build stronger cases against them. The unit builds on a system already in place to protect MPs, expanding protection to people standing for elected office. New and strengthened guidance will also be issued to frontline officers, with greater clarity on how to respond to incidents involving politicians…”

North Yorkshire Council Member Liaison Group on councillor safety

North Yorkshire Council takes Member safety seriously. The council’s cross party member liaison group on councillor safety was established in May 2024 and has met nine times to date, next due to meet on 19 June 2026. It is supported by the Assistant Chief Executive Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer and the Head of Democratic Services and Scrutiny and is also attended by the Head of Health and Safety and two North Yorkshire Police Officers.

The group has undertaken a number of practical steps to promote Member safety and has identified further areas for consideration.

One of the police officer representatives recently briefed councillors on matters relating to personal safety and security. This is part of a rolling programme of briefings and updates that provide practical tips, information and advice on councillor safety. Details of the briefings and associated documents and links are stored on the dedicated Member landing page on Sharepoint, which enables councillors to refer back to them as and when they need to.

Members will be kept informed of developments.

North Yorkshire Council standards complaint statistics

The Standards and Governance Committee monitors complaints raised with the Monitoring Officer under the standards regime.

As well as considering complaints that a member/voting co-opted Member of North Yorkshire Council may have breached the Members’ Code of Conduct, North Yorkshire Council is the principal authority for parish and town councils in North Yorkshire for the purposes of the standards provisions in the Localism Act 2011.

It is therefore also responsible for receiving and handling complaints that a parish/town councillor may have breached that authority’s code of conduct for Members.

That is the extent of North Yorkshire Council’s jurisdiction in respect of parish/town council governance; parish/town councils are separate legal entities and North Yorkshire Council has no jurisdiction to consider other complaints for example about the way in which the parish council has or has not done something, or about particular parish council decisions.

Context for complaints

There are currently:

730 individual parishes
411 parish and town councils
162 parish meetings; and
90 North Yorkshire Council councillors

In terms of the national context:

North Yorkshire Council has the largest number of parish and town councils of any local authority in the country
the next nearest council has 272
51% have less than 30
97.5% of councils have less than 200
there are only six councils with over 200 parish councils
only two councils have over 300 parish councils

Complaints received

during the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, the council received 174 complaints that members may have breached the relevant authority’s code of conduct for Members
during the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, 133 complaints were received
during the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, 183 complaints were received

A full breakdown of the complaint statistics for each municipal period is published on our councillor's code of conduct page.

For the period 1 April 2026 to 29 May 2026, a further 18 complaints have been received.

Pre-assessments and assessments in current year

Of the 18 complaints received in this current year:

a) four complaints have been disposed of by the Monitoring Officer/Deputy Monitoring Officer at pre-assessment stage.

The range of reasons for the complaints not progressing to assessment include:

where a complaint which was not about individual councillor conduct but instead related to general parish governance
where there was no evidence presented that the councillor was acting in their official capacity at the relevant times
where it was clear that the complaint, if proven to be true, would clearly not amount to a breach of the code
where the complainant did not substantiate the complaint

Some complaints fail to progress to assessment for multiple reasons.

b) 14 complaints have progressed to assessment by the Monitoring Officer/Deputy Monitoring Officer in consultation with the Independent Persons for Standards. Of those assessed complaints:

seven complaints did not merit referral for formal investigation or other action
four complaints were referred for investigation

The remaining three complaints are in preparatory stages or awaiting assessment.

Investigation outcomes

The following progress has been made on investigations since the last Standards Bulletin:

Investigation 12 - one complaint against one North Yorkshire councillor. The investigating officer concluded there was evidence of a minor technical, but not inconsequential, breach of the Code of Conduct. In accordance with section 9 of the North Yorkshire Council standards complaints procedure, the Deputy Monitoring Officer consulted the Independent Person for Standards and the parties and was satisfied the matter could reasonably be resolved informally without the need for a hearing.

Investigation 13 - one complaint against one town councillor. The investigating officer found no evidence of breach of code. The report was accepted by Monitoring Officer and Independent Person as sufficient. No further action was required.

Three investigations remain live.

A detailed complaints update report is taken to each ordinary meeting of the standards and governance committee, giving an update on complaints received and their progress. The committee’s agenda and papers are published on our meetings page.

Members will be kept informed of statistical information in relation to standards complaints received.

Resources

Localism Act 2011 and subordinate legislation: see the government's committee on standards in public life page
Local Government Lawyer website
BBC news website

Standards Bulletin June 2026

The members of the committee

Independent persons for standards

Officers

Barry Khan

Jennifer Norton

Christine Phillipson

Moira Beighton

Jacob Riddle

Introduction

Standing guidance for members

Members’ expenses

Interests’ regime

Registration of interests

Participation re interests

Disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs)

Other registrable interests (ORIs)

Non-registrable interests (NRIs)

What is the difference between ‘relates to’ and ‘affects’?

Sensitive interests

Bias, predetermination, predisposition

Members’ gifts and hospitality

Social media and the members’ code of conduct

Latest news

Update on government consultation on strengthening the standards regime

Publication of councillors’ usual residential address

Ethics and Integrity Commission – review into lobbying, disclosure and access to government

Ethics and Integrity Commission – Ombudsman review

Local Government Association guidance on member-officer relations protocol

Intimidation in public life

North Yorkshire Council Member Liaison Group on councillor safety

North Yorkshire Council standards complaint statistics

Context for complaints

Complaints received

Pre-assessments and assessments in current year

Investigation outcomes

Resources

Rate this page