The Framework of Ethical Compliance in the UK

Abstract

This article raises questions about whether the system for ethical compliance in the public services of the UK is proportionate to the perceived problem of unethical behaviour. The article uses examples from local government, the civil service and Ministers of the Crown. More research needs to be undertaken on these interconnected topics, but problems identified here include: the possibility that the ethical compliance system for local councillors is overly burdensome, and potentially inimical to the democratic process; that changes in the management of the civil service and the increasing influence of special advisers may mean that the ethical compliance system for civil servants is not as robust as it might be; and that for Ministers of the Crown there is not an ethical compliance system in place at all.