The Local Government Commission has been consulting on a draft Code of Conduct for Local Authorities.  
 
The Code addresses what bureaucrats see as local government’s biggest crisis: councillors saying unpleasant things. Never mind that rates rose 12 percent last year and will rise another 9 percent this year. Never mind crumbling infrastructure. The real problem is hurt feelings. 
 
This is not satire. The draft exists. You can read all 64 clauses yourself. 
 
Clause 23 captures the spirit perfectly. It forbids elected members from publicly criticising staff. Councillors work for voters, not bureaucrats, yet the Code treats criticism as insubordination. Imagine this elsewhere: theatre critics allowed only to write positive reviews; food inspectors forbidden from mentioning rats; opposition MPs required to compliment the government.  
 
The penalties read like something from a Maoist re-education camp. Forced apologies, compulsory training, public humiliation. One expects ‘wear dunce cap’ or ‘no pudding’ among the sanctions. 
 
The Code creates a perfect ecosystem for incompetence. When you cannot criticise, you cannot improve. When you cannot question, you cannot learn. When you cannot offend, you cannot tell the truth. Democracy becomes a game in which everyone pretends everything is fine. 
 
Plenty of councils have seen this movie. Councillors and even mayors have been dragged through disciplinary proceedings for criticising council decisions or even for engaging in politics – heaven forbid. Now the Commission wants to standardise these tactics nationwide. 
 
The Minister asked for codes protecting freedom of speech and democratic decision-making. The Commission delivered the opposite. Their masterpiece features contradictions that would make philosophy students weep. Councillors can access information but mustn’t use it critically. They can represent constituents unless those constituents want accountability. They can debate robustly provided nobody’s ego gets bruised. 
 
The genius lies in making it sound reasonable. Who could object to being ‘respectful’ or ‘inclusive’? These lovely words mask their true purpose: shutting down democracy’s messy debates. 
 
Consider the appeals process. Oh, wait, there isn’t one. Clause 47 makes investigators’ decisions final. Natural justice has, like Elvis, left the building.   
 
For years, council staff have made it hard for councillors to access timely, quality information. Meanwhile, councillors have weaponised codes of conduct against their political opponents by invoking ominous terms like ‘undermining behaviour’ and ‘material breach’.  
 
The draft Code won’t stop this weaponisation. It standardises it.  
 
Rates will rise, pipes will burst, services will deteriorate – but councillors will at least be polite about it. 
 
That’s progress, apparently. 

Nick Clark's submission, Draft Standardised Code of Conduct for Local Authorities, was lodged on 26 September 2025.