The National Park Authority has a Code of Conduct which all Members must sign up to when they become a Member of the Authority.
As part of the Code they are also required to register certain financial and other interests in the public Register of Members' Interests within 28 days of becoming a Member of the Authority.
The Register is maintained by the Monitoring Officer and each individual members' current register can be viewed by clicking on the member’s name on Our Members section of the website.
Sensitive information need not be included in the Register, with the agreement of the Monitoring Officer.
Members Code of Conduct - North York Moors National Park Authority
The North York Moors National Park Authority (“the Authority”) has adopted the following code dealing with the conduct that is expected of Members of the Authority when they are acting in that capacity.
The code is intended to be consistent with the following seven principles and should be read in the light of those principles, namely that Authority Members will act with selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
1. You must treat others fairly and with respect and promote an inclusive and diverse culture in the Authority where different perspectives and backgrounds are encouraged and valued. You must not unlawfully discriminate against any person.
2. You must act in a way which does not bully, harass, intimidate or attempt to intimidate any person.
3. You must ensure that the impartiality of anyone who works for or on behalf of the Authority is not compromised by your actions.
4. Your conduct should be exemplary and you must not conduct yourself in a manner which could reasonably be regarded as bringing the Authority, or your office as a member of the Authority, into disrepute.
5. You must impartially exercise your responsibilities in the interests of the community. You must not use or attempt to use your position as a member, or any knowledge gained solely as a result of your position as a member, improperly to confer on or secure for yourself or any other person any advantage or disadvantage.
6. If you are in receipt of any gift or hospitality which is attributable to your membership of the Authority, or any offer of any such gift or hospitality, you must disclose this to the Monitoring Officer; and you must decline to accept any such gift or hospitality which could reasonably be perceived as creating an obligation upon the Authority, or upon yourself as a member of the Authority.
7. You must not knowingly prevent, or attempt to prevent, another person from gaining access to information to which they are entitled by law.
8. You must keep information which is given to you in confidence, or information which you believe or ought reasonably to be aware is of a confidential nature, secure and not disclose unless:
- You have the consent of a person authorised to give it; or
- You are required by law to do so; or
- The disclosure is made to a third party for the purpose of obtaining professional advice, provided that the third party agrees not to disclose the information to any other person; or
- The disclosure is reasonable, in the public interest, made in good faith, and made in compliance with the reasonable requirements of the Authority following consultation with the Monitoring Officer.
9. Subject to paragraph 11, you must register in the Authority’s Register of Members Interests information regarding your personal interests. In this code of conduct “your personal interests” means any Disclosable Pecuniary Interest (as defined by statutory regulations in force from time to time) and also those other interests set out in paragraph 10, and which interest is held,
- by you, or
- to your knowledge, by your spouse or civil partner, by a person with whom you are living as husband and wife, or by a person with whom you are living as if you were civil partners.
You must register information regarding your personal interests by giving written notice to the Monitoring Officer, who maintains the Register; and you must give such notice:
- within 28 days of your appointment as a member of the Authority; and
- thereafter, within 28 days of any change taking place in your personal interests.
10. The following are personal interests within paragraph 9 (other personal interests may arise under paragraph 13):
- Your membership of any body to which you are appointed by the Authority;
- Your membership of any public body;
- Your membership of any charitable body;
- Your membership of any political party, trade union, or other body one of whose principal purposes is to influence public opinion or policy;
- Any business which you carry on or are involved in carrying on;
- Any partnership of which you are a partner;
- Any employer for whom you work;
- Any person (other than the Authority) which has made a payment to you in connection with you carrying out your duties as an Authority Member;
- Any land in the Authority’s area in which you have a beneficial interest or a licence to occupy;
- Any land owned by the Authority of which you, or to your knowledge any of the persons mentioned at paragraph 9 above, are the tenant or licensee.
11. Where you consider that disclosure of the details of any of your personal interests could lead to you, or a person connected with you, being subject to violence or intimidation, you may so inform the Monitoring Officer; and if the Monitoring Officer agrees, a note will be made in the register to the effect that you have a personal interest, details of which are withheld under Section 32 of the Localism Act 2011.
12. Where you attend a meeting of the Authority, or of a Committee of the Authority, and you are, or ought reasonably to be, aware that any of your personal interests are relevant to an item of business which is being considered, then unless the interest is one which has been noted under paragraph 11, or relates solely to your position as an ordinary Member of an appointing local authority, you must disclose to that meeting the existence and nature of that interest at the commencement of that item of business, or when the interest becomes apparent, if later.
13, Where you attend a meeting of the Authority, or of a Committee of the Authority, and you are, or ought reasonably to be, aware that a decision in relation to any item of business which is to be transacted might reasonably be regarded as affecting your well being or financial position, or the well being or financial position of a person described in paragraph 14 to a greater extent than the majority of inhabitants of the North York Moors National Park, then you must disclose to that meeting the existence and nature of that interest at the commencement of that item of business, or when the interest becomes apparent, if later.
14. The persons referred to in paragraph 13 are:
a) a member of your family;
b) any person with whom you have a close association;
c) in relation to persons described in (a) and (b), their employer, any firm in which they are a partner, or company of which they are a director or significant shareholder.
15. If you have
a) A Disclosable Pecuniary Interest; and/or
b) an interest referred to in paragraph 13 which a member of the public with knowledge of the relevant facts would reasonably regard as so significant that it is likely to prejudice your judgement of the public interest
in a matter being discussed at any meeting, you must leave the room in which the meeting is being held whilst that matter is discussed and voted upon.
16. You must use any resources provided to you by the Authority only for or incidental to the functions of the Authority and the purposes for which they were provided. You must comply with any requirements of the Authority in relation to those resources.
17. You must undertake any training provided by the Authority in relation to this code of conduct.
18. In carrying out your role as a member of the Authority you must at all times:
- Act lawfully; and
- Exercise reasonable care and diligence.