Welcome to ESCati
Organisations who are subject to the Local Government Act 2000 receive in excess of 2000 complaints each year relating to member conduct. New arrangements for dealing with these are outlined in the Localism Bill published in December 2010. If the Bill becomes law, local authorities will be able to choose whether to have Standards Committees, the Code of Conduct will become optional and Standards for England will be abolished. The Local Government Ombudsman will take on new responsibilities in relation to the investigation of complaints against members.
Authorities will still have to deal with complaints in a timely and fair manner and are likely to have to investigate those complaints themselves before the Local Government Ombudsman becomes involved. It may be possible for local authorities to bring together arrangements for dealing with complaints against members with existing arrangements for dealing with complaints about officials or the provision of services. Streamlining complaints handling in this way could produce significant financial benefits for authorities.
Our role at Ethical Standards and Complaints is to support local authorities, their members and officers, in maintaining high levels of professionalism in dealing with complaints in an environment of transparency and accountability which will underpin and strengthen democracy, and meet their electorate's expectations of competence.
We offer
- expert advice on the organisation, management and process of dealing with complaints and any aspect of ethical standards and behaviour
- trained professional and experienced complaint investigators
- bespoke and generic training on an individual or organisational basis
We will work with you to increase your knowledge and understanding - our aim is always to exceed your expectations.
Contact us for further details of how we may be able to help you.
Advice
Training
For Officials and Members of all Authorities including Parish Councils.