Foreword by the
Rt Hon the Lord Nolan

This Committee is a standing committee, charged with examining key areas of public life and, if necessary, making recommendations designed to ensure that the highest standards are maintained, and are seen to be maintained.

In this, our third study, we are looking at aspects of conduct in local government. As with all our public services, local government has undergone considerable changes in recent years. We need to be sure that the arrangements for preserving the values and standards of public life which we expect of local government have kept pace with these changes.

To do this successfully we need the views of those who provide local government services, of those who use them, and of the public at large. I hope those who read this paper will consider the issues carefully and send their comments, as soon as possible, and certainly no later than 11 October, to us at Horse Guards Road, London SW1P 3AL.

We should welcome the views of individuals as well as organisations. The details of individuals' personal experiences often raise important general questions.