Controversial standards for council 'not necessary'

A CONTROVERSIAL set of standards that Cardiff councillors were asked to sign up to years ago has been deemed unnecessary by the city council's chief legal adviser.

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The 'Cardiff Undertaking', adopted by Cardiff Council in 2004 and amended over the years, has raised concerns among some councillors, with one local representative calling some of its points "alarming".

Cardiff council's director of governance and legal services, Debbie Marles, told members of the local authority's standards and ethics committee recently that the undertaking, which is similar to the Members Code of Conduct, could give rise to confusion.

The Members Code of Conduct includes a set of standards that councillors across the country have to follow and are enforceable, but the Cardiff Undertaking is not.