Good practice guidance on member-officer relations protocols

Effective working relationships between elected members and officers are fundamental to public service delivery and good governance in local government. They foster mutual respect, clarify roles and enable constructive challenge, which support ethical decision-making, delivery and accountability.

When these relationships function well, they enable the delivery of high-quality public services which reflect local priorities, fulfil statutory duties and support the authority’s financial sustainability. Ultimately, this collaboration builds public trust and strengthens democratic legitimacy.

Elected members and officers have vital, complementary roles. Elected members provide democratic leadership, set strategic direction, hold decision makers to account and represent the interests of their communities. Officers bring professional expertise, impartial advice, and operational capability to support informed decision-making and delivery. Together, they ensure that public services are delivered economically, efficiently and effectively, in line with local needs and priorities.

Statutory guidance on Best Value standards and intervention has identified the maintenance of constructive relationships between members and senior officers as a characteristic of a well-functioning authority.

Characteristics of authorities with poor member-officer relations include unclear roles, blurred boundaries and a lack of mutual respect, which can lead to poor decision-making, inadequate challenge and weak financial oversight.

In authorities with poor member-officer relations there are often blurred boundaries between member and officer roles as well as a lack of trust and mutual respect. This can lead to inadequate challenge, weak financial oversight and ultimately poor decision-making which negatively impacts local residents.

Put simply, a member-officer relations protocol is a code of standards which sets out how members and officers will work together to the benefit of local residents. It can help to clarify the authority’s expectations that members and officers will demonstrate mutual respect, understand their respective roles, responsibilities and expectations, and identify key examples of how this will work in practice. It will also set out how things will be resolved if they go wrong, avoiding confusion or escalation where possible. Many of its contents may appear to be common sense, but if they are not written down and ‘owned’ by the authority there is a risk of them being overlooked or misunderstood.

A protocol can be used both as an element of an authority’s corporate governance framework (set out in the local code of governance) and as a visible commitment to upholding standards of conduct in public life, supporting adherence to respective member and officer codes of conduct. For this reason, it is common practice to include it within the authority’s constitution.

Protocols apply to members (including both elected and co-opted members) and officers at all times whilst they are acting in their official capacity. 
Whilst a member-officer relations protocol on its own cannot ensure effective member-officer relations, it can make a key contribution to supporting an effective organisational culture, when supported by appropriate engagement and training.

There is no single ‘model’ for what a good protocol looks like, as an authority’s protocol should be tailored to its local context. Authorities are invited to consider the key principles and questions within this guidance when preparing and reviewing their own protocol.

The process of discussing and developing an authority’s protocol in light of local context and appropriate standards can be as valuable as the protocol itself: when this process is done well, it promotes ownership, understanding and ensures relevance.

Key elements of the legislative and standards framework relating to member-officer relations include:

• The Local Government Act 2000 introduced a statutory ethical standards regime (including a national model code of conduct and standards committees for members).
• The Localism Act 2011 overhauled the 2000 Act’s regime and requires councils to promote and maintain high standards of conduct. Under this Act, each council must adopt a members’ code of conduct consistent with the Nolan Principles and put in place arrangements to investigate breaches (including an Independent Person). The Act also made it a criminal offence for members to deliberately omit or misrepresent certain financial interests.
• The Local Government and Housing Act 1989 requires the appointment of certain statutory officers (Head of Paid Service, Monitoring Officer, Chief Finance Officer) with defined duties and imposes political restrictions on senior council employees to ensure their political neutrality.
• The Equality Act 2010 (Public Sector Equality Duty) requires public authorities to have due regard to eliminating discrimination and advancing equality in their decisions, reinforcing the expectation that members and officers act fairly and without bias.
• Local authorities are not legally required to agree a protocol on member-officer relations: it is however recognised as good practice across the sector, with most authorities having adopted a protocol.

Effective member-officer relations are built on a series of interconnecting basic principles:

1. Ethical conduct: Members and officers individually act with selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
2. Mutual respect and trust: Members and officers respect each other, their respective roles and responsibilities.
3. Clear and well understood roles and responsibilities: The roles and responsibilities of both members and officers, including the boundaries between them, are clearly defined, consistently communicated and understood by all members and officers working with members.
4. Visible leadership: Senior members and officers actively and visibly model, promote and uphold the authority’s standards, setting clear expectations. They are committed to preventing, identifying and resolving conflicts constructively and transparently.

Ethical conduct is the overarching principle of effective member-officer relations: without these, effective collective behaviours cannot be achieved. The Seven Principles of Public Life (Nolan Principles) are that members and officers individually act with selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.

They apply to all public officeholders, both elected and appointed, nationally and locally in England and define clear expectations around consistent behaviour which supports mutual respect and trust:

1. Selflessness: Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.
2. Integrity: Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.
3. Objectivity: Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.
4. Accountability: Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.
5. Openness: Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.
6. Honesty: Holders of public office should be truthful.
7. Leadership: Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour and treat others with respect. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

Members and officers respect each other, their respective roles and responsibilities.

What do we mean by mutual respect and trust?

Mutual respect and trust is a two-way street, requiring active commitment from both members and officers to maintain healthy, professional working relationships.

Trust has to be earned and maintained by both parties through consistent, respectful behaviour. Respect is reciprocal: when one side feels undermined, the relationship suffers.

Why does mutual respect and trust matter?

Trust enables open, constructive dialogue. Members can feel confident that officers will provide honest, impartial advice and officers can trust that members will use that advice responsibly. This fosters a collaborative environment where complex issues can be tackled jointly. 

Constructive challenge is a vital part of this relationship: members have a responsibility to scrutinise recommendations and advice objectively, in support of transparency and accountability. Where it applies to their actions or advice, it is important that officers recognise that constructive challenge is not personal, but a legitimate and necessary aspect of good governance and continuous improvement. 

When members and officers work together respectfully, it reflects positively on the authority. The public is more likely to trust an authority that demonstrates professionalism, unity and integrity in its internal relationships.

A breakdown in trust between members and officers can seriously undermine the effectiveness of the authority. When trust erodes, officers may hesitate to offer honest advice, fearing criticism. Members may disregard professional advice, leading to decisions which do not consider all potential implications (with a risk of unlawfulness). Operational boundaries can be blurred, causing inefficiencies, confusion and confrontation over respective roles. Public meetings can become arenas for confrontation, where officers feel personally challenged rather than having their advice or implementation constructively examined. Public confidence in the authority can suffer, especially if internal tensions become visible, damaging its reputation. Morale among officers may decline, resulting in disengagement and higher turnover. Ultimately, without mutual trust and respect, the authority’s ability to govern effectively and serve its community is compromised.

The roles and responsibilities of both members and officers, including the boundaries between them, are clearly defined, consistently communicated and understood by all members and officers working with members.

What are the roles and responsibilities in this context?

Members are elected by the public to represent their local communities. Their role is primarily strategic and political, and includes:

• deciding the authority’s priorities, approving budgets and setting the authority’s high level strategic direction
• acting as advocates for residents, raising concerns and ensuring local voices are heard
• holding the executive and officers to account through scrutiny committees and other governance mechanisms
• involvement in senior officer appointments/ dismissals as set out in the constitution.

Some members, especially those in executive or committee roles, also make decisions on services, policies and/or applications.

Members must act in accordance with their authority’s Member Code of Conduct.

Officers are employed to provide expert professional advice, implement decisions, and manage day-to-day operations. Their role is operational and administrative, and includes:

• supporting members by providing professional, legal, and technical advice
• implementing the decisions made by members and ensuring services are delivered effectively
• day to day staff management, leading teams and overseeing budget, staff, performance standards and service delivery
• ensuring the authority operates within legal and regulatory frameworks
• providing information to members which they need to perform their roles.

Some officers also have specific responsibilities which are set out in legislation. For example, by law every local authority must appoint a Head of Paid Service (Chief Executive), a Monitoring Officer and a Section 151 Officer (Chief Finance Officer), each of whom have specific statutory duties to support lawful, ethical and financially sound decision-making.

Officers must act in accordance with their authority’s Officer Code of Conduct.

Both members and officers should respect the boundaries of their own roles. Members must not involve themselves in operational matters and officers must not engage in political activity in the authority. Senior officers in what are known as ‘politically restricted posts’ are barred by law from engaging in any political activity.

It is good practice to list detailed examples of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour in a protocol: this can help to set clear expectations for members and officers. For example:

Table 1: Acceptable member behaviour

Table 2: Acceptable officer behaviour

Why are clear and well understood roles and responsibilities important?

Local authorities operate within a legal framework. Clear and well understood roles and responsibilities make it is easier to hold the right people accountable for decisions and compliance with the law and the authority’s constitution. This is a cornerstone of good governance which relies on the right people doing the right thing at the right time in the right way. The LGA’s Improvement and assurance framework for local government details the wider system of checks which apply to a local authority.

Clarity helps members and officers to build professional and respectful working relationships. Members should have confidence that officers are politically neutral and understand that they are required to address operational pressures, whilst officers should respect the democratic mandate of elected members and the pressures of representation.

Clear boundaries prevent overreach and ensure decisions are made at the appropriate level.

Senior members and officers actively and visibly model, promote and uphold the authority’s standards, setting clear expectations. They are committed to preventing, identifying and resolving conflicts constructively and transparently.

What do we mean by visible leadership?

Visible leadership means senior members and officers being seen to consistently demonstrate the Seven Principles of Public Life and the authority’s behavioural standards, as set out in the respective codes of conduct and the protocol. This includes promoting accountability by setting clear expectations and intervening constructively when issues arise.

Why is visible leadership important?

Visible leadership from both senior members and officers sets the tone and expectations for the entire organisation. When leaders model respectful, collaborative behaviour and hold each other to account appropriately, it signals to others that mutual trust and professionalism are expected and valued. Being seen to work constructively with other political leaders in the authority is part of this.

Senior members, such as the Leader, cabinet members and committee chairs, can demonstrate political leadership by engaging constructively with officers, respecting their advice and upholding ethical standards. Senior officers, such as the Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer, can reinforce this by providing impartial guidance, ensuring that members have the support they need to fulfil their roles and maintaining focus on operational delivery.

Visible leadership helps members and officers to understand that any issues will be dealt with constructively and not avoided or allowed to fester. They can have confidence that senior leaders support the aims and use of the protocol.

How does visible leadership apply in the context of the protocol?

Senior members and officers are responsible for upholding and modelling the principles set out in the protocol. Their visible involvement in developing its principles and commitment to practice them gives the protocol authority and credibility.

Their leadership ensures that the protocol is not just a formal document, but a living framework that shapes behaviour and supports good governance.

When issues arise such as inappropriate conduct, overstepped boundaries or breakdowns in communication, it is important that senior leaders are prepared to intervene promptly and fairly. This may involve informal resolution, mediation or invoking formal procedures under the protocol or codes of conduct. Addressing issues swiftly is vital, as it prevents the embedding of poor conduct.

The following are common components in most member-officer protocols:

Purpose and scope

It is important to state the protocol’s purpose – for example, to promote ethical, effective, respectful, and professional relationships between members and officers – and to be clear that it applies to all elected members and officers whilst acting in their official capacity.

Principles of effective member-officer relations

While authorities should determine the principles which are most relevant for their local context, the principles of effective member-officer relations set out in this guidance may be a useful starting point. It is also helpful to clearly connect the protocol to the Seven Principles of Public Life (ethical conduct), members’ and officers’ respective codes of conduct and corporate values and behaviours.

Roles and responsibilities

Clear definition of members and officers’ respective roles and responsibilities is a fundamental part of the protocol, including what members can expect of officers and vice versa. It is also helpful to address what can be expected in specific, potentially sensitive circumstances, for instance processes for officers to brief political group meetings and expectations about conduct at public meetings.  

Additional roles and responsibilities of those in leadership roles

Including expectations of senior members and officers (such as the Leader/ Executive Mayor, group leaders, committee chairs, the Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer) to promote and model good behaviour, uphold standards and intervene where necessary can support transparency and accountability. This may include specific reference to the responsibilities of senior officers to provide robust, impartial, appropriate and clear advice and the responsibilities of members to ensure that their decisions are informed by that advice (even where those decisions are lawfully at variance with it).

Communication

It is helpful to set clear expectations on how members and officers will communicate with each other, including behaviours, methods and expectations of responsiveness. This can include information sharing, members’ rights to access information and the importance of handling information correctly, as well as standards on official media activity.

Expectations on tone, timing and responsiveness may include:

• using respectful language, even in disagreement
• clear standards and links to processes for responding to member casework, queries and requests
• avoiding public criticism of individuals, with clarity on the proper channels to be used instead.

The LGA provides social media guidance for members to further support effective public communication.

Expectation to engage in training

The protocol may also contain explicit expectations that both members and officers working directly with members will participate in training on ethical conduct, effective-member officer relations and the protocol itself. This can support embedding and accountability. These expectations can be set out in the protocol and/or in the relevant codes of conduct.

What if things go wrong?

Explicit procedures for raising concerns or reporting breaches support transparency and accountability in the management of potential instances of inappropriate behaviour between members and officers. It is important that this includes clarity on the responsibilities of the senior members and officers who have roles in investigating and resolving issues. Measures which allow for and support early, informal resolution can be particularly effective, and alignment and consistency with the authority’s member and officer codes of conduct are essential. Further guidance and resources on member conduct and standards can be found on the LGA’s Member conduct and standards hub.

Fundamentally the creation or review of an authority’s member-officer relations protocol should be a joint effort between members and officers. This ensures collective understanding, ownership and commitment to upholding the standards set out in the protocol.

The process of creating or reviewing the protocol in an authority can be as valuable as the protocol itself in strengthening trust and alignment between the political and managerial leadership and can support the reset of member-officer relations, when carefully facilitated.

When is the right time to review a protocol?

A review may be of particular benefit:

• following significant changes in political and/or managerial leadership
• as part of a transition to a new governance model
• as part of a regular, comprehensive review of the constitution or corporate governance framework
• following the adoption of new corporate values
• following changes in legislation or national model codes of conduct
• following significant, systematic and/ or persistent breaches of the protocol by members or officers.

Who to involve in the creation or review of a protocol?

Whilst it is for each authority to determine which members and officers should be involved, it is important that a broad range of senior leaders are engaged in order to achieve the benefits of visible leadership, understanding and ownership. It is common good practice for these senior leaders to be brought together in the form of a joint member-officer working group.

Key members to consider including in a joint member-officer working group are:

• Leader of the Council/Executive Mayor and/or a nominated cabinet member – to reflect executive perspectives (or nominated committee chairs in a committee system).
• All Opposition Group Leaders – to ensure cross-party perspectives are considered.
• Chair of the Standards Committee – to connect to oversight of member conduct.
• A Scrutiny Committee Chair – to represent the scrutiny function and its relationship with officers.
• Backbench members – to provide insight into day-to-day interactions with officers.

Key officers to consider including in a joint member-officer working group are:

• Chief Executive – to reflect senior officer perspectives and connect to oversight of officer conduct.
• Monitoring Officer – to advise on legal and ethical compliance and often lead the drafting or revision.
• Director/head of human resources – to advise on the protocol’s connection to, and implications on, the officer code of conduct.
• Multiple directors or heads of service with services with frequent member contact – to provide insight into day-to-day interactions with members.
• Head of Democratic Services – to support the process and ensure procedural integrity.
• An operational officer working directly with members – to enable consideration of less senior officers’ views and experiences.

The chairing and/or facilitation arrangements for a working group may depend on the quality and maturity of the authority’s existing member-officer relations. In authorities with existing difficulties in member-officer relations an independent chair or facilitation, external to the authority, can assist in ensuring even-handedness and building mutual respect and trust between members and officers, ensuring that the process is seen as fair, balanced, and objective. The LGA can provide this facilitation support: if you are interested, please contact your LGA Principal Adviser.

A protocol is only effective if it is actively and consistently lived out in daily interactions between members and officers, forming part of the organisational culture rather than just being a document in the constitution.

When the principles of the protocol are embedded, members should feel more confident that officers are acting impartially and professionally, whilst officers should feel respected and protected from inappropriate political pressure or operational interference.

Following adoption of the protocol/ conclusion of the review

In addition to formal approval of the (updated) protocol as a change to the constitution by full council/ combined authority, it is important to raise awareness of the protocol’s purpose and expectations on members and officers. This will be strengthened if there are briefings and opportunities to ask questions and seek clarifications.

It is also important for the protocol to be directly connected to member and officer codes of conduct. Hyperlinking between interconnecting sections of the protocol and codes of conduct in the constitution is an effective way of supporting this.

Looking ahead, induction sessions for new members and officers who work with members should include the protocol as a core component. Delivery of refresher training for existing members and officers also helps to reinforce understanding. Real-life scenarios and case studies may be used to explore how the protocol applies in practice and how to handle grey areas.

For officers, additional training on political awareness the year before an election, especially where a change of control or significant intake of new members is anticipated also helps to increase consideration of appropriate behaviours.

The Monitoring Officer’s role in providing confidential advice to members and officers on related concerns will also support early resolution and reinforce trust in the protocol.

Group Leaders are encouraged to support their members in understanding and applying the protocol. They can address concerns informally, promote engagement with training and liaise with the Monitoring Officer when issues arise.

The LGA’s Member’s workbook on effective member-officer relationships and Member Code of Conduct e-learning can be used to complement training on the authority’s own protocol.

To further support the growth of effective leadership, the LGA provides a range of member and officer development programmes.

Senior members and officers’ visible participation in training and awareness activities can signal commitment and encourage others to engage.

Visible leadership which is a shared endeavour between the Leader and Chief Executive is especially important for setting the right tone for the organisational culture, being seen to take poor conduct seriously and giving consistent messages on expectations. This includes senior leaders proactively assuring members and officers that any complaints in good faith can be raised about conduct without fear of retribution or punishment. Ensuring that the operation and effectiveness of the protocol is a regular topic for discussion between the Leader and Chief Executive, and between the Chief Executive, Monitoring Officer and Head of HR, will also support this.

Consistency in addressing any breaches or poor behaviour in a timely way will be a key factor in embedding the protocol, reinforcing its purpose as a living and enforced standard of the authority.

Communications which celebrate the authority’s successes which have been achieved through effective member-officer working can help in demonstrating the value placed on respectful, trusting and constructive working relationships.

To monitor and evaluate a member-officer relations protocol in practice requires a multi-layered and proactive approach.

Members

The Standards Committee plays a vital role in overseeing member conduct: this can include consideration of compliance with the member-officer relations protocol as part of wider reports on member conduct, including any breaches, training uptake, and feedback from members and officers. This committee may recommend improvements and ensure the protocol remains aligned with the member code of conduct.

Officers

As well as their individual statutory responsibilities, the authority’s ‘Golden Triangle’ (Chief Executive, Section 151 Officer and Monitoring Officer) have a collective responsibility for supporting and ensuring good governance within the authority. By regularly reflecting on member-officer relations they can help to identify areas for improvement, informing targeted actions and the adaptation of member and officer development programmes to meet evolving needs. Where cultural or behavioural challenges arise, a collective response from the Golden Triangle may also help to ensure that responsibility is shared and that no single officer is left isolated in addressing systemic issues.

The Monitoring Officer, working with the Head of HR, plays a central role in ensuring compliance with the protocol. Regular review of member complaints, conduct issues, and informal feedback can help to identify patterns or breaches and wider organisational learning for consideration by the senior management team. Systematic tracking of engagement with training on the protocol by members and relevant officers will be essential.

Assurance

The protocol’s effectiveness should be considered as part of the authority’s annual review of governance arrangements and subsequent Annual Governance Statement, which is collectively developed, reviewed by the Audit Committee and signed off by the Leader and Chief Executive.

Independent assurance on the quality of member-officer relations and the degree to which the authority’s protocol is being practiced across the authority may be provided by the external auditor through their Auditor’s Annual Report and assessment of the authority’s value for money arrangements, including its governance.

Equally, the LGA can provide further external assurance through Corporate Peer Challenge. Where assurance is not gained through these routes, further training and/or review of the protocol may be required.