The Local Government Officers (Political Restrictions) Regulations 1990 contain information about what it means to be in a politically restricted role.
These regulations impose restrictions on the public political activities of local government officers who are appointed to or employed in posts which are politically restricted posts for the purposes of Part I of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.
These restrictions require such post holders:
- Not to announce or cause, authorise or permit anyone to announce that he/she is, or intends to be, a candidate for election as a member of various bodies, e.g. the House of Commons, the European Parliament and a local authority
- Not act as an election agent or sub agent;
- Not be an officer of a political party or branch, or a member of any committee or sub-committee, if it would require him/her to participate in the general management of the party or the branch, or act on behalf of the party or branch in dealings with persons other than members of the party or of another political party associated with it;
- Not to canvass on behalf of the political party or on behalf of a person who is or proposes to be a candidate for election to any political party;
- Not to speak to the public at large or to a section of the public with the apparent intention of affecting public support for a political party;
- Not to publish any written or artistic work of which he/she is the author (or one of the authors), or cause, authorise or permit any other person to publish such work or collection, if the work appears to be intended to affect public support for a political party. This only applies to publication to the public at large or to section of the public.
These types of posts are politically restricted:
· Posts individually identified in the legislation, either by name or by their relationship to other senior officers.
· Posts to which duties have been delegated under the Council’s Scheme of Delegation to Officers.
· Political Assistants.
Posts where the duties include (a) giving advice on a regular basis to the Council itself, to the Executive, to any committee or sub-committee of the Council or any joint committee on which the Council is represented and/or (b) speaking on behalf of the Council on a regular basis to journalists or broadcasters.