Ethical Standards Committee Web Site

The Isle of Wight Council has an Ethical Standards Committee to ensure its
councillors follow a code of conduct and maintain the highest standards in public life. Here Mark Southwell, the independent chairman of the committee, explains its role




Public confidence in the trustworthiness of elected councillors is vital to healthy local government. The Isle of Wight Council appoints an Ethical Standards Committee to ensure both its members and other elected councillors on the Island (town and parish councillors) maintain the highest standards of conduct.

In the late 1980s corruption and controversial behaviour in some council’s led to the then government asking Lord Nolan to investigate honesty in local government. The resulting Nolan Report led to the creation of committees to counter such behaviour and to oversee standards of conduct in public life. The Isle of Wight Council’s Ethical Standards Committee has two distinct roles:

To ensure councillors (and the Ethical Standards Committee itself) abide by a code of conduct. If anyone feels a councillor has breached this code they can complain to the Monitoring Officer of the Ethical Standards Committee who may refer the matter to the Assessment Sub Committee. If the Assessment Sub Committee believes there is a case to answer it will investigate the matter.

The principles are simple: those elected to public office should be honest and serve only the best interests of the community. Island residents can make a big contribution to monitoring standards by attending meetings of the Isle of Wight Council and their town or parish council. You can judge for yourself how well the councillors are serving the best interests of the area. Too few people take any interest in the activities of their councils. The Isle of Wight is unique in having many independent members of the public on its Ethical Standards Committee. It meets every two months (in public if you want to come).


Ethical Standards Committee composition

Seven members of the public (one of whom is the chairman of the committee)

Four representatives from town and parish councils on the Island

Four elected members of the Isle of Wight Council