Since 1 July 2003, each local authority has been legally required to adopt a code of conduct for its elected members. This is a new requirement for councils, introduced by the Local Government Act 2002 (the Act).
We decided to examine how councils have implemented the requirement to have a code of conduct, and how codes of conduct are being used by councils, their members, and the public. The purpose of the study was to:
- assure Parliament that councils have properly implemented the requirement to have a code of conduct;
- examine how councils have given effect to the requirement to have codes; and
- report to Parliament and the local government sector on councils’ experiences in using their codes, to enhance general understanding of codes and to assist councils in addressing conduct issues in the future.