The Standards Committee of Milton Keynes Council is scheduled to meet on Tuesday 30 September 2025. The committee will be reviewing the periodic report of the Monitoring Officer, a report on the costs of Code of Conduct complaints, and a report on recent Code of Conduct cases at other local authorities. The meeting will be held in Room 1.02, Civic, 1 Saxon Gate East, Milton Keynes, MK9 3EJ and on YouTube.

Recent Code of Conduct Cases

The committee will receive a report on recent Code of Conduct cases at other local authorities. The report highlights key themes emerging from these cases, including:

• Misrepresentation of personal credentials and military service
• Improper use of office for personal or political gain
• Failure to declare or register pecuniary interests
• Disrespectful behaviour towards officers and fellow members
• Procedural errors affecting council decision-making
• Challenges in embedding cultural and governance reforms

The report provides summaries, findings, outcomes, and key takeaways for each case, offering insights for improving standards in public office. Some of the cases that are scheduled to be discussed are:

• Wolverhampton – Stolen Valour: A councillor publicly stated that he had served as a Royal Marine when he had only undergone 30 weeks of training but did not complete it. The Ethics and Governance Sub-Committee found that he was acting in his official capacity when making the statements, his comments gave a misleading impression, he failed to clarify that he was a recruit and had not completed training, and he did not cooperate with the investigation.
• Enfield Visa Support Misuse: Councillor Mohammad Islam, who served as Mayor of Enfield from 2024 to 2025, was investigated for using his mayoral office to support visa applications for friends and family. The investigation found breaches of the Councillor Code of Conduct, specifically improper use of position to confer advantage, conduct bringing the office or authority into disrepute, and misuse of council resources, including failure to comply with ICT and publicity policies.
• Cornwall – Undeclared Pecuniary Interest: Councillor Gardner, a former cabinet member and portfolio holder for the economy at Cornwall Council, failed to correctly register a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest (DPI) after accepting a role as Head of Air and Space at Cornwall Airport. He also failed to declare a non-registerable interest during a meeting of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Economic Prosperity Board on 27 February 2025, where funding for Spaceport (a project run by Cornwall Airport) was discussed.
• Torbay – Disrepute via Facebook Post: Following a heated council meeting, a dispute over the selection of the next civic mayor led to a walkout by various councillors. After the meeting, Councillor Maddison told Chief Executive Anne-Marie Bond, Shame on you, Anne-Marie, twice in a corridor. She later posted on Facebook, describing the council as a sick institution and accusing certain leading council officers of being at the heart of it.

Periodic Report of the Monitoring Officer

The committee will receive the Periodic Report of the Monitoring Officer, Sharon Bridglalsingh, Director of Law and Governance. The report is intended to advise the committee of standards updates and issues, including Code of Conduct complaints since the Monitoring Officer last reported to the Standards Committee in June 2025.

The report includes updates on complaints, including a table of Code of Conduct complaints received since the last Standards Committee held on 24 June 2025¹.

The report also covers the following topics:

• Recruitment of Parish Representatives
• Training
• Sensitive Interests
• Other Standards Matters
• Government Announcements

The committee will be asked to clarify whether the role of parish council representative is limited to Parish, Town and Community Council councillors and does not include officers, and to provide feedback on how to support attendance at training / drop-in sessions, and the content of draft refresher slides.

Code of Conduct & Social Media Refresher

The Head of Democratic Services has produced a set of slides covering the Code of Conduct and the recently published Social Media Guidance and is making arrangements for a drop-in session for Councillors to ask any questions they may have. The draft slides are attached at Annex B of the Periodic Report of the Monitoring Officer.

The slides cover the following topics:

• Nolan Principles / Code Obligations
• Code of Conduct
• When does the Code apply?
• Your Register of Interests
• Declaring interests – different categories
• Interests – dispensations
• Interests - terminology
• Interests - participation
• Bias and predetermination
• Social Media
• Code of conduct complaints
• Final reflections

Parental Leave and Proxy Voting

The Head of Democratic Services has produced a briefing note which confirms that, subject to legislation being passed and any associated guidance being received, it seems very probable that any Councillors on approved parental leave would qualify for proxy votes at full Council meetings.

Cost of Code of Conduct Complaints

The committee will receive a report detailing the costs associated with the administration of Code of Conduct complaints. The report sets out the average cost of such complaints, capturing time for officers only and not factoring in councillor time.

The report breaks down the costs into the following categories:

• Initial Administration
• Assessment Stage
• Decision Notice
• Investigation

The report estimates that the cost of an uncomplicated complaint resulting in a determination of no breach of the Code of Conduct is at least £295. Should the Monitoring Officer decide that an investigation is required then the costs can range from £4,000 to £9,500 for a single investigation. The hourly cost of a hearing would be at least £1,000 - £1,500.