“Give people the permission, the opportunity and the encouragement to think about ethical challenges.”

Public body leaders play an imperative role in embedding ethical standards across the public sector. Their duty to uphold the principles of public life within their organisations forms the focus of the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) latest review, “Leading in Practice.”

Lord Jonathan Evans, Chair of the CSPL, recently led a session with ACE & PCF members to hear their views on the role of leadership in upholding these principles. Keenly discussed, leaders’ role in evolving the general perception of ethics, from solely a list of rules and procedures to comply with, to a motivating ethos to improve public service delivery.

The history of the Committee of Standards in Public Life

The CSPL is independent of government and Parliament.  It was formed in 1994 to advise the Prime Minister on arrangements to uphold ethical standards across the public sector. The Committee is the custodian  of the Nolan Principles, named after Lord Nolan, the inaugural chair of the Committee, who articulated the seven principles which all public office appointees must subscribe to; selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty, and leadership.

The CSPL conducts broad evidence-based and impartial reviews of an area or issue.  It is not a regulator and cannot investigate individual cases. The CSPL has undertaken several inquiries over recent years, including ethical standards in local government, Artificial Intelligence and public standards, and the regulation of election finances. Their most recent publication, ‘Upholding Standards in Public Life,’ concluded that there must be more  independent regulation in central government, including in the regulation of the Ministerial Code.

Their latest review, “Leading in Practice” examines the role of public sector leadership in creating an environment within their organisations where decisions and behaviours are guided by the principles of public life. For this reason, the CSPL were keen to hear directly from chairs and chief executives of public bodies, to explore how public bodies ensure they uphold the highest ethical standards in their delivery of vital public services.

Nolan Principles form the foundation of public life

The Nolan Principles form the foundation of public service. Broad enough to apply to every sector, they underpin the core values every public office holder must embody in their role. Members shared that it is common for public appointees to be questioned on their commitment to the Nolan Principles during their interviews. In general, members considered it the responsibility of chairs and chief executives to embed the Nolan Principles into their organisational strategies and ensure that there was sustained attention to uphold them.

Members discussed that the application of the Nolan Principles can generally be broken down into two categories; ensuring that decisions are made in accordance with the Principles, and that employee behaviour abides by them. It is a key responsibility of the leadership team to model behaviours in keeping with the Principles.

Forming organisational cultures

Members considered how the Nolan Principles can be used to form the starting point to set organisational cultural values. For example, some public bodies have found it helpful to express the Principles through sector specific language, to help contextualise the values to their own function and with specific relevance to their places of work.

Operating at “arm’s-length” from government, public bodies can be viewed as having more flexibility to create their own organisational cultures. While several espoused the benefits of this freedom, members also pointed out the risk or cultural erosion that can easily occur due to small staffing numbers, if leaders are not vigilant. 

Evolving the discourse around ethics

Public body leaders have an opportunity to evolve how their organisations approach the topic of ethics. While regulations are important to prevent corruption, ethical practice in public bodies deserves leaders’ attention beyond compliance to rules and regulations.

Maintaining ethical standards is a fundamental aspect of inspiring public trust and confidence in the integrity of public service. ACE and PCF provide space and enable peer support for public body leaders to share, learn and develop effective practice. Public body chairs and chief executives continue to lead by example, encouraging their organisations to take pride in their service to the public and continue to aspire to reach the highest ethical standards.