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Who watches the watchers?

Donald Graham reviews the recent history of local government standards and concludes two-tier and combined authority regions would give local independent panels some traction.

The Committee on Standards in Public Life produced its latest review and 18 recommendations in January 2019, and a report a year later on the standards landscape to mark its 25th anniversary. Those recommendations have yet to be adopted.

Its best practice recommendations did not seek to restore the independent centralised system of adjudication that was abolished by the coalition Government in response to complaints from councillors that Standards for England was bureaucratic and often ‘led to petty or politically motivated complaints'.

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