Reform-led Scarborough town council pledge of respect

​Scarborough town councillors have agreed to sign up to a pledge committing to behave respectfully towards others and uphold the values of the council’s code of conduct.

​At a full meeting of Scarborough Town Council (STC) on Wednesday, January 21, councillors backed a pledge of civility and respect, part of a campaign by the National Association of Local Councils (NALC).

​“I will adopt the principles of selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership,” the pledge states.

​Councillors agreed that they would individually sign the pledges at a later date, and officially noted the scheme, which states: “STC believes now is the time to put civility and respect at the top of the agenda and start a culture change for the local council sector”.

​As part of the pledge, members of the council will “treat all councillors, clerk and all employees, members of the public, representatives of partner organisations and volunteers with civility and respect in their role”.

​It also commits the authority and its members to “seek professional help at early stages should civility and respect issues arise, commit to calling out bullying and harassment if and when it happens, and continue to learn from best practice in the sector and aspire to be a role model / champion council”.

​As part of the individual pledges, councillors will also commit to “attend training required by the council as part of my role as a councillor”.

​The NALC’s campaign states: “We are introducing the Civility and Respect Pledge because there is no place for bullying, harassment and intimidation within our sector.

​“The pledge is easy for parish and town councils to sign up for, enabling them to demonstrate their commitment to addressing poor behaviour across and fostering positive changes that support civil and respectful conduct.”