DOIG, Alan <br/><br/>
Ethics in local government :  evaluating self-regulation in England and Wales 

 -  2001 
<br/><br/> Local government in England and Wales is subject to the implementation of the Labour government`s new ethical framework` legislation. This involves a statutory code of conduct for councillors, local standards commitees to promote good practice and external investigative and adjudicative bodies to deal with allegations of misconduct. Prior to this many local authorities had adopted a self-regulatory approach to improving their ethical practice. This article charts the development of non-statutory policy towards standards in councils. A study of council who have introduced self-regulation through standards committees shows that it procides a positive strategy for strengthening the ethical climate, although there is a role for external verification and, potentially, internvention where councils face structural problems of miscondut and/or corruption. The current creation of a statutory system with powerful investigatory agencies is not justified in the context of levels of misconduct and the experience of self-regulation