This code of conduct sets out the standards of behaviour expected from members of the Park Wood & Senacre Pride in Place Neighbourhood Board.

The Board has an important role in shaping the Pride in Place Plan and providing community-led strategic leadership for Park Wood and Senacre. Members should act in a way that maintains public confidence in the Board, us as the Accountable Body, and the Pride in Place programme.

This code applies to board members when acting in their board role. It also provides guidance for council officers, advisers, consultants and support partners involved in Board business, recognising that their roles are different from voting Board members.

The purpose of this code is to help the board work fairly, openly, and respectfully, especially when decisions are difficult or when people have different views.

Expected behaviour

Everyone involved in the Board should:

• treat people with respect
• act in a way that promotes equality and does not unlawfully discriminate
• listen to different views and make space for others to contribute
• avoid intimidating, bullying, harassing, or attempting to silence others
• avoid doing anything that compromises, or is likely to compromise, the impartiality of those working for or on behalf of the board
• act in the interests of Park Wood and Senacre as a whole
• declare relevant interests and relationships openly
• use evidence fairly and consider the views of the wider community
• support a collaborative, non-hierarchical culture
• avoid gatekeeping or controlling who is able to be heard
• help maintain public trust in the Board and the Pride in Place programme

The seven principles of public life

When acting in a Board member capacity, members should behave consistently with the Seven Principles of Public Life.
These are:

• selflessness: acting solely in terms of the public interest.
• integrity: avoiding improper obligations or influence, not taking decisions for personal gain, and declaring and resolving interests and relationships.
• objectivity: acting and taking decisions impartially, fairly, on merit and using the best evidence.
• accountability: being accountable to the public for decisions and actions.
• openness: acting and taking decisions openly and transparently unless there are clear and lawful reasons not to.
• honesty: being truthful.
• leadership: showing these principles in behaviour, treating others with respect, promoting the principles and challenging poor behaviour where it occurs

Board members should avoid doing anything they could not justify to the public or to fellow board members.

Acting for the whole neighbourhood

Members may have particular local knowledge, lived experience, organisational links, professional skills, or community networks. These are valuable.

However, when acting as Board members, they should consider the interests of Park Wood and Senacre as a whole.

Members should not use their position to promote only their own organisation, personal project, political interest, or local network.
Where members have a particular connection or interest, they should declare it openly and follow the agreed process for managing interests or conflicts.

Resident-led working and avoiding gatekeeping

The Board should remain open, resident-led and connected to the wider community.

Board members should:

• help make sure residents outside the board continue to be heard
• avoid assuming they speak for everyone
• support involvement from people who may not usually take part
• avoid controlling access to the board or the programme
• avoid filtering community views through their own organisation or network
• challenge behaviour that risks making the board feel closed, exclusive, or dominated by a small number of voices

Being resident-led means creating space for different experiences, not only the most confident or experienced voices.

Conflicts of interest

A conflict of interest may arise where a board member, close associate, immediate family member, business, employer, organisation or group has an interest in a matter that is the same as, connected to, or may be affected by, a matter under discussion.

Conflicts can be financial or non-financial.

A financial interest may include a direct or indirect financial benefit to the board member, close family member, employer, business, or organisation.

A non-financial interest may include an unpaid role, personal relationship, organisational loyalty, campaigning role, or strong connection that could reasonably be seen to affect judgement.

Having an interest does not automatically mean someone has done anything wrong or cannot be involved. In local work, people often have connections. The important thing is that interests are declared openly and managed fairly.

All members must complete a Declaration of Interest form before or shortly after joining the board, before attending their first meeting.
Members must update their declaration annually, and when their circumstances change, registering any new interests that arise within 28 days.

Board members must declare relevant interests at the start of meetings or when they arise during discussion.

• if a conflict is considered to be financial and significant, the member must leave the room, or online meeting, for the relevant item(s) and may not vote
• if a conflict is considered to be financial and minor, the member may speak on the item but not vote
• if a conflict is considered to be non-financial and significant, the member may speak on the item but not vote
• if a conflict is considered to be non-financial and minor, the member may participate as normal

Whether an interest is minor or significant will be determined by consideration of whether a reasonable person having knowledge of the facts would reasonably conclude that it was so.

In unclear situations, we as the accountable body will advise whether an interest should be treated as a conflict and what its status is. The decision and reasoning must be recorded in the minutes.

Advisers, officers, and support partners

The role of Maidstone Borough Council as Accountable Body, and of officers, engagement providers, technical advisers, delivery partners, evaluation partners and other support partners, is to provide advice, evidence, support, and facilitation to the board.

They do not replace the board’s community-led role.

Board members, advisers and officers all serve the interests of the programme, but their responsibilities are distinct. Board members have the decision-making role set out in the Terms of Reference. Advisers and officers provide support and advice within their respective roles.

Gifts and hospitality

Board members should treat with caution any offer of a gift, favour, benefit or hospitality connected to their Board role, especially where the person or organisation making the offer may be seeking to do business with, receive funding from, influence or benefit from the board or the Pride in Place programme.

Any gift or hospitality with an estimated value of £25 or more must be declared.

Members should also declare lower-value gifts or hospitality where accepting them could reasonably be seen to affect their judgement or public confidence in the board.

Confidentiality and transparency

The Board will work with a presumption of openness and transparency. However, some information may need to remain confidential, including:

• personal data
• commercial information
• legal advice
• live procurement matters
• sensitive discussions
• information that cannot lawfully or appropriately be published.

Members must not share confidential information outside the Board unless authorised to do so by the chair, who will seek guidance from the accountable body as required.

Members should also take care when speaking publicly, including on social media, not to present personal views as agreed board positions unless the board has agreed them.

Decisions and respectful challenge

Members should seek to reach decisions by consensus where possible. Where there are different views, members should challenge constructively and focus on the issue, not the person.

Members should:

• listen before responding
• explain disagreement respectfully
• avoid personal criticism
• be willing to change their view in light of evidence or discussion
• support clear decisions once they have been properly made.

Where a member disagrees with a decision, this can be recorded through the proper meeting process where appropriate.

Complaints and concerns

Where someone believes that a Board member has fallen short of the standards in this Code, the concern should be raised in writing with Maidstone Borough Council’s Information and Governance team via:

The concern should explain:

• the nature of the issue
• how the Board member was acting in a Board capacity
• which part of the Code of Conduct may have been breached
• where relevant, which of the Seven Principles of Public Life may have been affected
• any relevant evidence or impact
• if the concern relates to a conflict of interest, how the conflict may have arisen and what impact it may have had

We, as the accountable body, will agree the appropriate process for considering concerns with the Chair.

If the concern relates to the Chair, the Council will consider the matter through an appropriate route.

Where a breach is found, possible actions may include:

• advice or informal resolution
• a request for an apology
• changes to ways of working
• restrictions on involvement in a specific item
• removal from the Board where permitted by the Terms of Reference and the agreed process.

Where removal from the Board is considered, the member should normally be given clear written notice of the issue, the reasons removal is being considered, and a reasonable opportunity to make representations before a final decision is made.

Whistleblowing

Concerns about wrongdoing, fraud, misuse of public money, serious misconduct, or other matters that may fall outside ordinary complaints should be raised through our relevant whistleblowing or reporting procedure.

You can email Whistleblowing@Midkent.gov.uk or call 01622 602059.

Code review

This Code of Conduct is intended to apply throughout the life of the board.

It should be reviewed at least annually, or sooner if there are changes to:

• programme guidance
• board membership
• delivery arrangements
• declarations processes
• council requirements
• the board’s agreed ways of working.

Any changes should be agreed by the board and us.

Acceptance of the code

By joining or continuing as a board member, members agree to follow this Code of Conduct and support the board to work in a way that is fair, open, respectful and community led.