Registration of Interests
Within 28 days of acceptance of office a Member, co-opted Member or Parish Councillor must complete and sign a declaration of his / her interests (even if the Declaration of Acceptance of Office has not been signed). Failure to do so means the Member cannot attend meetings of the Authority/Parish Council as a Member or Co-opted Member and can be reported to the Standards Board for breach of the Code of Conduct.
Members need to register their interests so the public, Council staff and fellow Members know about interests which may inform your approach to particular issues or give rise to a conflict of interest. The Register is a document that can be consulted when (or before) an issue arises. It encourages openness in Local Government and allows others to consider whether or not Members may have a conflict of interest.
The Register also protects Members. Members are responsible for deciding whether or not they should declare an interest in a meeting, but can be helpful for them to know early on if others think a conflict may arise. It is also important for public confidence that people who are interested in your Authorities meetings know about any interests that might have to be declared by members.
The interests which need to be registered are set out in Part 3 of the Authorities Code of Conduct.
Parish Councillors will need to consult their own Code of Conduct, although matters to be disclosed should be similar if not the same as those for the Borough Councillors.
Introduction to Policies & Protocols
