21 May 2004
The Standards Board is to 'refocus resources' after admitting this week that it takes too long to complete its investigations into member misconduct.
Giving evidence to the Committee on Standards in Public Life, board chair Sir Anthony Holland said there would be 'streamlining' to speed up investigations. He told the inquiry into regulators and codes of conduct, which is being carried out by Sir Alistair Graham, that the board would be refocusing its efforts on more serious cases.
'We accept that in too many cases our investigations have taken too long. This is primarily because it was most important that the investigatory process should be such as to withstand external scrutiny,' Holland said in a statement.
A spokesman told Public Finance that the board accepted that its first three years had been a 'learning experience'. It has come in for criticism on the types of cases it has investigated, including one where a member called another a 'plonker', and the time it has taken to reach its conclusions.
'We wish to state publicly that we are not interested in personal squabbles and will not indulge attempts to abuse the Code of Conduct,' Holland added.
He said the board would now be piloting a scheme to 'seek local information' before it proceeds with investigations. But the spokesman was keen to point out that these would not be pre-investigations. 'We want to focus on cases that are likely to be fruitful,' he said.
It will also continue to push for section 66 regulations under the Local Government Act 2000 to be put in place. The consultation on this closed this week. It should allow more cases to be investigated and determined locally and gradually move the board into more of a support and guidance role.
The inquiry will continue to hear evidence until September and is due to publish its conclusions at the end of the year.
PFmay2004
