Standards Commission Surveys

The Standards Commission occasionally undertakes surveys to obtain the views of stakeholders on aspects of our work, including proposed changes to our guidance.

The Standards Commission issued surveys to board members and the Standards Officers of all devolved public bodies in Scotland in April 2022. The intention was to learn about both members’ and Standards Officers’ experiences with the ethical standards framework and, in particular, their experiences of board members’ compliance with, and awareness of, the provisions of the Model Code of Conduct. The Standards Commission intends to use information gathered to inform its future training events and to identify the need for any further educational material or guidance. The Standards Commission was also keen to see if it could improve how enquiries are handled and its Hearings and adjudicatory processes. Documents outlining the responses received to the surveys are below. Actions the Standards Commission hopes to take in light of the responses, subject to budget and resources constraints, are outlined in the documents under the headings ‘Next Steps’.

The Standards Commission issued surveys to councillors and the Monitoring Officers of all 32 Scottish local authorities in February 2022. The intention was to learn about both councillors’ and Monitoring Officers’ experiences with the ethical standards framework and, in particular, their experiences of elected members’ compliance with, and awareness of, the provisions of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct. The Standards Commission intends to use information gathered to inform its future training events and to identify the need for any further educational material or guidance. The Standards Commission was also keen to see if it could improve how enquiries are handled and its Hearings and adjudicatory processes. Documents outlining the responses received to the surveys are below. Actions the Standards Commission hopes to take in light of the responses, subject to budget and resources constraints, are outlined in the documents under the headings ‘Next Steps’.

The Standards Commission issued a survey to members of devolved public bodies at the end of August 2018. The intention of the survey was to establish whether the lack of complaints about members of devolved public bodies was the result of a high level of adherence to the Codes of Conduct (based on the Model Code of Conduct) or whether poor conduct was taking place but going unreported. The Standards Commission also sought to establish the extent of awareness amongst members of certain provisions in the Codes.  Documents summarising the responses received can also be accessed below.