TYDD ST
MARY PARISH COUNCIL
Hedgeview, 231 Broadgate, Sutton St Edmund,
Spalding, Lincs, PE120LT
E mail tyddstmarypc@gmail.com
WHISTLE
BLOWING POLICY
All
organisations face the risk of things going wrong or unknowingly harbouring
malpractice. The Council believes it has a duty to identify such
situations and take the appropriate measures to remedy the situation. By
encouraging a culture of openness within the Council, it is hoped that such
problems can be prevented.
This
policy applies to all Employees of the Council and other workers including
temporary, subcontracted and agency workers.
By
encouraging a culture of openness, the Council wants to encourage Employees and
workers to raise issues which concern them at work. They may be concerned
that by reporting such issues they may be exposing themselves to detrimental
treatment or risking their job security. This is not the case. All
members of staff have statutory protection if they raise concerns in the right
way. This policy is designed to give staff that opportunity and
protection. Providing they are acting in good faith it does not matter if
they are mistaken. There is no question of Employees having to prove
anything about the allegation they are making, but they must reasonably believe
that the information they have implies acts of malpractice.
If
there is anything which Employees think the Council should know about, they
should use the procedure outlined in this policy. By knowing about
malpractice at an early stage, the Council has a good chance of taking the
necessary steps to safeguard the interests of all who are involved with and
have a legitimate interest in its activities.
Typical
examples of malpractice which are covered by this policy are:
·
Criminal
offences
·
Miscarriages
of justice.
·
Dangers
to health and safety
·
Damage
to the environment.
·
Breaches
of any legal and / or statutory obligations
·
Deliberately
concealing any of the above.
The
Council is committed to this policy. If an Employee uses this policy to
raise a concern in good faith, the Council gives them its assurance that they
will not suffer any form of retribution or detrimental treatment.
The
Council will treat their concern seriously and act according to this
policy. They will not be asked to provide anything about the allegation
they raise, but they must reasonably believe that the information they have is
used in good faith. If an Employee asks
for a matter to be treated in confidence, the Council will respect their
request.
The
Council’s Guarantee:
·
If
an Employee is concerned about any form of malpractice, they should raise the
issue with the Chairman. There are no specific requirements to do
this. They can inform their supervisor verbally or in writing if they
prefer.
·
If
they feel that they cannot deal with their Chairman for whatever reason, they
should address their concerns to the Chairman of the Personnel Panel
How
the Council will respond:
·
Once
a concern has been raised the Council will decide how to respond in a
responsible and appropriate manner under this policy. Usually this will
begin with internal enquiries but may progress to either a formal or informal
investigation, depending upon the nature of the concern. The Council will
endeavour to complete the investigation within a reasonable time scale.
·
The
investigation may be conducted by either the Clerk alone, or a team of three
Councillors, selected by the Full Council, depending upon the nature of the
concern.
·
The
Council will keep the Employee informed of the progress of the
investigation. However, the Council will not be obliged to reveal
information which would infringe the confidentiality of others, the Data
Protection Act or any other statutory obligation.
Raising
your concerns externally:
·
The
purpose of this policy and procedure is to give Employees the opportunity and
protection they need to raise concerns internally. The Council would
expect that in almost all cases, raising concerns internally would be the most
appropriate action to take.
·
However,
if for whatever reason Employees feel that they cannot raise their concerns
internally and reasonably believe that the information and allegations are
substantially true, they can consider raising the matter with the appropriate
regulator – external auditor, HSE, etc.
·
Public
Concern at Work is an independent charity whose main objective is to promote
compliance with the law and good practice in the public, private and voluntary
sectors. They can be contacted at www.pcaw.co.uk
·
If
you have any questions regarding this policy and procedure, please feel free to
discuss the matter with the (Clerk/Chairman/other....)
Version
number |
Date
Approved |
Amendments
Made |
Next
Review Date |
V1 |
June
2023 |
|
June
2024 |
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