Reports are emerging from the York Council suggesting that 12 Councillors have been found to have broken the Councils Code of Conduct.
The Code covers – amongst other things – the declaration of personal and financial Interests at Council meetings. Part of the Code also requires Councillors to declare their Interests on a publicly available Register which can be found on the Council web site.
It appears that the 12 concerned may not, earlier in the year, have admitted on the register donations made towards their election expenses last May, contrary to the statutory requirements governing their behaviour.
The other 35 Councillors are understood to have made the declarations.
If true, the judgement by the independent Standards Committee would be without precedent in York. Referrals to the committee are rare with previously only a handful of substantiated complaints having been recorded over the last 10 years.
More on this issue will be published here as it becomes available.