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Code of Conduct - The way councillors act in office, particularly over matters where they have a personal or financial interest, is governed both by the law and by a code of conduct.

Standards Committee - The law also requires the Council to have a Standards Committee under an independent Chairman. This committee is responsible for investigating complaints about the conduct of members in line with guidance issued by the Standards Board for England. The Committee also has the job of advising the County Council on adopting, updating and operatiing the Code of Conduct for members and of overseeing the Council’s policy on the proper conduct of business. The Council's Standards Committee operates under the aegis of the Standards Board for England.

The Standards Committee is also responsible for the Council’s procedures for investigating and responding to complaints, approving a Local Planning Code and considering any lessons from findings of maladministration by the Local Government Ombudsman.

Local Protocol - The County Council has adopted its own local protocol governing relations between councillors and professional officers.

Monitoring Officer - The Council has a Monitoring Officer whose job it is to advise the Council and councillors on questions of conduct and ethics. In the end however, each individual is responsible for the propriety of their own actions.

New Ethical Framework - Lord Nolan's Report on standards in public life led to the development of what is called the New Ethical Framework, including a code of conduct for councilllors. You can view a factsheet on the framework and the code.