In August 2022, your Parish Council adopted the Civility & Respect Pledge for local authorities.
About the Pledge
Throughout the public sector, there are growing concerns about the impact bullying, harassment, and intimidation are having on local (parish and town) councils, councillors, clerks and council staff and the resulting effectiveness of local councils.
To address this, the National Association of Local Councils (NALC), One Voice Wales, the Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC) and county associations have set up the Civility and Respect Project. The aim of this is to put civility and respect at the top of the agenda and start a culture change for the local council sector.
There is no place for bullying, harassment and intimidation within our sector
The pledge is intended to demonstrate that Councils are committed to standing up against poor behaviour across our sector and to driving through positive changes which support civil and respectful conduct.
The Pledge
By signing the Pledge, your council has agreed that the council will treat councillors, clerks, employees, members of the public, and representatives of partner organisations and volunteers with civility and respect in their roles and that it:
- Has put in place a training programme for councillors and staff
- Has signed up to the Code of Conduct for councillors
- Has good governance arrangements in place including staff contracts and a dignity at work policy
- Will seek professional help at the early stages should civility and respect issues arise
- Will commit to calling out bullying and harassment if and when it happens
- Will continue to learn from best practices in the sector and aspire to be a role model/champion council
- Supports the continued lobbying for change in legislation to support the Civility and Respect Pledge including sanctions for elected members where appropriate
Find Out More
You can learn more about the scheme on the National Association of Local Councils (NALC) website.
