Local Government Ethical Standards Survey 2026

Overview

The role of the Local Government Ethical Standards (LGES) team is to help promote high standards of conduct by locally elected Councillors. It does this by promoting the Code of Conduct and assessing allegations from people who believe a Councillor may have failed to comply with the Code.   Where it is considered necessary LGES will conduct investigations of the alleged breaches and they may, after investigation, refer a Councillor to the Commissioner for Local Government Ethical Standards for adjudication. If an adjudication does take place and the Commissioner considers that there has been a breach of the Code of Conduct there are a range of sanctions including, no action, censure, partial suspension, suspension and disqualification for a period of five years.

Why your views matter

Why your views matter

This survey aims to gather feedback from Council CEOs, Senior Officers, and a small number of relevant organisations to:

• Learn how we can develop and improve our work in relation to the promotion and regulation of the Code of Conduct, including creating new resources and website content
• Inform future ongoing engagement with Councils and relevant organisations to develop and improve our role and work with others in the promotion of the Code of Conduct
• Learn how best to share and learn from the allegations we receive, the investigations that we undertake, and the adjudication decisions made by the Commissioner, as well as feedback in relation to promoting and ensuring compliance with the Code of Conduct

The survey is being conducted by the Improvement, Engagement & Impact team in NIPSO and the survey responses will be returned to this team for analysis. We are conducting two different surveys and will be sharing some of the findings with key stakeholders. Any findings shared will be carefully screened to ensure individuals cannot be identified.

For more information on how we handle your data please read: NIPSO Privacy Notice