5. Gifts, hospitality and facilitation payments
Our Employee and Councillor Codes of Conduct (which can be located in the Council’s Constitution - outline the Council’s agreed approach to hospitality and gifts and our Hospitality Register is on our website to make it more open and accessible to the public, in line with our council values. The Register is an existing tool which will help us meet the demands of the Act as it will be critical for businesses to maintain proper books and records and ensure total transparency of payments made and corporate hospitality given.
In addition to bribes being illegal, facilitation or “grease” payments (the payment of small sums of money to ensure someone performs their duty, either more promptly or at all) are also illegal.
Employees of the Council are required by its Financial Regulations to report (verbally or in writing) all suspected irregularities to their manager.