More Information
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- Introduction to Policies & Protocols
- Correspondence & Equipment Protocol for Members
- Members Safety Protocol
1. The Authority has adopted a Code of Conduct which sets out rules governing the behaviour of its members. This includes the statement that Members must, when using or authorising the use by others of the resources of the authority:
(i) act in accordance with the authority’s requirements; and
(ii) ensure that such resources are not used for political purposes unless that use could reasonably be regarded as likely to facilitate, or be conducive to, the discharge of the functions of the authority or of the office to which the Member has been elected or appointed.’
2. To help clarify this statement and, in order to assist Members in their duties, the following protocol will guide Members in the use of the services and equipment provided by the Member Support Team at Priory Place.
Members Support Team
3. The primary function of the Members Support team is, in simple terms, to ensure that Members are properly
thereby ensuring that they are able to carry out their duties as a DMBC Councillor more effectively.
4. The Member Support Team is able to facilitate administrative and secretarial support, which is both proactive and reactive to the needs of Members.
5. This support is restricted to your work as a DMBC Councillor. You must not use this service for any other purpose be it party-political (unless it is reasonable to view this as helpful to the discharge of Council business), personal, private/commercial business-related. Comments deemed to express political views should not be referred to in the preparation of correspondence to support your role as a Councillor.
6. In addition to the support service this protocol also covers use of equipment including:
Mobile telephones
7. Mobile telephones are issued to Cabinet Members and Chair of Overview & Scrutiny Management Committee and should only be used for Council business. However it is accepted that in extenuating circumstances you may need to make a private call. Such calls should be recorded to enable you to identify the call on the telephone account which is circulated at regular intervals. The cost of any personal calls will be deducted through payroll.
Lap-Tops, Computers & Printers
8. Personal Computers are available to all DMBC Councillors upon request, however, the following criteria will apply for their usage:
Personal Computers (PC’s) - Members Resource Centre, Priory Place
9. PC’s are available in the Members Resource Centre at Priory Place but as with lap-tops (see above) these are provided solely for your use as a DMBC Councillor and should not be used for private/commercial business or party political purposes.
E-Mail & Internet Access
10. Members should ensure that the Local Authority protocols on use of e-mail and Internet access are followed. These protocols are separate to this document.
Photocopiers
11. Photocopiers are provided in Priory Place and can be used by DMBC Councillors both for Council business and personal use. No charge is levied against copying for Council business, however, any copying undertaken which is for personal use (including party political work) is currently charged at 2p per copy.
12. Any Member wishing to take copies for private use should, in the first instance, contact the Member Support team or, if there is no one available, a member of the Administration Team who will make the necessary arrangements for payment and issue you with a receipt for personal copying.
NB: Although personal use is allowed it is expected that usage would be limited and this facility may be removed if this service was being abused.
General Stationery
13. General Stationery, e.g. paper etc, is provided solely for your use in your capacity as a DMBC Councillor.
Correspondence
14. Local Authority headed notepaper should be used.
15. Correspondence should be for the purpose of providing a response or factual information and be for no other purpose.
16. Correspondence should not refer to political purpose nor contain information which could be deemed to be libelous.
17. Councillors should consider whether the purpose of the correspondence seeks to influence party political support. If it does, then neither Local Authority headed notepaper, nor paper belonging to the Authority, should be used. (See attached guidance notes for further information – Appendix 1.)
Car Park/Travel Master Passes
18. Members are entitled to receive either a car park pass (which allows free parking at a designated Doncaster Town Centre car park) or a Travel Master pass, which allows free use of public transport within South Yorkshire.
19. However these passes are issued for the sole use of Members in the course of undertaking Council business and should not be used for any other purpose.
Summary
20. All equipment issued to you by the Department remains the property of the Council and should be returned immediately to the Member Support Team on the cessation of your period of office as a Councillor.
21. Misuse of any Council service or item of equipment will mean that you are in breach of the Authority’s Code of Conduct. The Standards Board for England could investigate such a breach of the Code. This could have very serious implications for both the Council and individual Members resulting in disqualification from holding office for a period of five years.
22. If you are unsure about any aspect of this guidance, or indeed the Authority’s Code of Conduct (of which this is just a small part), you should obtain advice from the Authority’s Monitoring Officer or the Members Support Team.
Introduction
This guidance note is provided for the purpose of assisting Members in considering when use of a facility may be considered to be for a party political purpose.
Members should note that the guidance does not provide a definitive set of circumstances and is for the purpose of guidance only.
General
Members should consider the purpose behind a document or piece of correspondence. If the purpose is to boost political support for a Member, group of Members or political party, then any use will be seen to be political.
Local Authority resources must not be used to draft, distribute or send out such documents.
Computers/Laptops/Printers
If any e-mail is received which is of a political nature, the Authority’s computer may not be used to respond to it.
Similar rules apply regarding production of any documentation on a computer/printer provided by the Authority. Therefore, for example, templates for a party political newspaper should not be produced on Local Authority equipment.
A computer should not be used for canvassing by or on behalf of a political party or group.
An e-mail seeking comment on issues individuals may wish to raise with the Labour group for example, which do not relate to Council business or which relates to coordinating political activity, will be treated as political.
Correspondence
Local Authority/Mayor’s Office headed notepaper should not be used for party political purpose.
Consideration of purpose is needed. For example, consider the production of a leaflet regarding the closure of a G.P.s’ surgery and denial of such rumours. Is the purpose to seek to increase the votes for the party stating that the closure will not happen? In this case the leaflet is political. If the purpose is to allay public fears, it is not.
Paper provided by, or bearing the header of, the Local Authority should not be used in the following situations:
Local Authority/Mayoral headed paper may be used for:
Leaders of Political Groups
Correspondence is received by Members who are the Leaders of their respective political groups. This correspondence may be forwarded to that Member either in their capacity as a Ward Member or Chair of the group.
Members will need to consider the purpose of such correspondence in determining whether it is appropriate for the Member to reply as a Ward Member on Local Authority headed notepaper, or to respond on the political group’s paper in that individual’s role as Leader.
Should you require further information, Members should contact Irene Raw, Executive and Member Support Manager on telephone (01302) 734011.
