Reputation management

Local government has always come under heavy scrutiny from the press and from members of the public, in terms of the conduct of elected representatives and the decisions they make, but in the digital age, inappropriate conduct, acts and omissions are ever more visible to the public.

The use of digital and social media has grown exponentially in recent years. This has positive benefits to be embraced, such as the opportunity to engage with communities by providing online information and services. However, with these benefits comes greater accountability and risk of reputation damage if local authority executives and members conduct or decision making is inappropriate, biased, unfair or perceived to be unfair. To maintain public trust in the system, members and employees have a duty to maintain high standards of conduct and ethics and to consider the consequences of their personal conduct on the reputation of the local authority as an entity.

The Localism Act 2011 abolished the Standards Board regime and the national code of conduct that went with it and replaced it with a requirement that authorities promote and maintain high standards of conduct by members.

Part

To view the latest version of this document and thousands of others like it, sign-in with LexisNexis or register for a free trial.

TAKE A FREE TRIAL

Latest Local Government News

Housing Ombudsman Service round-up—21 January 2026

A round-up of the latest news from the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS), including the launch of a consultation on the Ombudsman’s role under the new Social Tenant Access to Information Requirements (STAIRs).

Welsh Government publishes children's rights compliance report under 2011 Measure

The Welsh Government has published its statutory compliance report under section 1 of the Rights of Children and Young Persons (Wales) Measure 2011. The Minister for Children and Social Care, Dawn Bowden MS, confirmed that Ministers had given due regard to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child between April 2023 and September 2025. The report explains how children’s rights were built into decision‑making through the Children’s Rights Scheme, Children’s Rights Impact Assessments, staff training, and support from the Children and Young People’s Rights Branch. It also records policy actions such as expanding Flying Start childcare, providing Universal Primary Free School Meals, introducing the young persons’ bus fare pilot and extending it to under‑16s, legislating to end profit in children’s residential and foster care, and delivering new mental health and suicide prevention strategies.

DfE publishes Turing Scheme guidance for international placements 2026-2027

The Department for Education (DfE) has published guidance for the Turing Scheme covering international placements for the 2026-2027 period. The guidance outlines funding arrangements for international study and work placements and provides application procedures for schools, further education providers, and higher education providers seeking to support students, including apprentices, in overseas placements. The scheme is funded by the UK government and applications are accepted only from education providers, not directly from students. The guidance specifies that providers should continue to follow 2025-2026 guidance for any projects taking place before 31 August 2026. The documentation includes separate guidance sections for schools, further education providers, and higher education providers, along with a list of destinations and grant rates for the scheme period.

MHCLG invites representations on proposed strengthened statutory support for Tower Hamlets

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has published a letter inviting the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to make representations on the Secretary of State’s proposed strengthened statutory support package under section 15 of the Local Government Act 1999, following concerns that the authority continues to fail to comply with its Best Value Duty in areas including continuous improvement, governance, leadership, culture, partnerships and use of resources. The proposals would expand the powers and capacity of the Envoys, require the Authority to establish an Improvement Board, support a deep‑dive project into allegations of misconduct, and update its Continuous Improvement Plan, with representations required on or before 2 February 2026.

View Local Government by content type :

News