Local authorities may be given more powers to enforce high standards of conduct for councillors. The proposals have been set out by the Local Government Minister, John Healey and will be open for consultation and comments until mid-February.
If the plans go ahead they will create a new regime under which local standards committees will make initial assessments of all misconduct allegations against councillors. 

An independent panel has been set up in Wales to review councillors’ allowances. It will look at both the range of payments and their maximum levels. The five members of the panel will issue their first report by the end of July.
They will outline the duties and responsibilities that attract allowances and will set maximum levels with the recommendations being different for each local authority. The permanent panel will then be expected to update the report at least annually. 

By Guy Palmer, Tom MacInnes and Peter Kenway,
This New Policy Institute annual report of indicators of poverty and social exclusion in the United Kingdom provides a comprehensive analysis of trends and differences between groups. A wide range of measures show that the policies to counter poverty and social exclusion are failing to deliver. The tables show a worsening in the number in low income, children in low-income households, low income in work and low income and council tax.