Section 66: Ethical standards
135.Section 66 concerns ethical standards. Because of the allocation of responsibilities between the Mayor and the Assembly, the usual procedures which govern the conduct of business within local authorities cannot be applied to the Authority. The Act therefore provides a power for the Secretary of State to issue guidance to the Authority about, amongst other things, the disclosure and registration of interests, voting in cases where an Assembly member has an interest in the matter in question, the exercise of functions by or on behalf of the Mayor, the deputy mayor or any member of the Authority’s staff in cases where the mayor, deputy Mayor or member of staff has an interest in the matter in question; and the prescription of model codes of conduct. The Secretary of State may also provide guidance on the establishment, by the Authority, of one or more committees concerned with ethical standards and about the functions of such a committee. A consultation document on this guidance was issued on 11 October 1999.