Model principles of healthy debate

The model principles are designed to help councils develop and embed shared expectations about what healthy debate means locally. The model is not intended to be exhaustive or mandatory and does not replace codes of conduct or meeting rules. It provides a template which councils can use and adapt to local requirements, to help councillors have a local conversation about what healthy debate should look like in their own setting.

The principles are intended to support debate that strengthens clear, evidence-aware and well-reasoned decision-making.

This is one of four resources in the Healthy debate and debating skills suite. The resources guide explains how the resources work together and how they were developed.

Developing principles of healthy debate can help councils develop a shared understanding amongst councillors about how debate should be conducted locally to deliver the best decision-making for the council and their residents. Councils must weigh competing priorities and diverse views; well-structured and delivered debates can help councillors make more robust and balanced decisions, while also increasing residents trust in local institutions and those who run them.

These model principles and associated guidance are intended as an exemplar and template for councils. Councils may choose to adopt them as written or adapt them to suit their local needs.

Local adaptation may be beneficial in a number of ways.

• It creates space for councillors to discuss and understand the principles thoroughly.
• It establishes a shared understanding of healthy debate that all councillors respect.
• It allows councillors to shape and own the principles, creating a sense of ownership and building support from councillors and officers.

When adapting the principles, councils may want to change the wording, the number of commitments, the examples used and the format. Some councils may want a shorter version for use in the chamber and a fuller version for the members' handbook. Councils should also check the wording against their constitution, standing orders and member-officer protocol to avoid inconsistencies or duplication.

How the principles are adopted will affect how they are used in practice. Councils may choose to adopt the principles in different ways.

• They can be used as informal guidance for councillors.
• They can be adopted as a local policy.
• They can be incorporated into the council's constitution as a protocol.

The way this guidance is adopted locally will affect how it is used, referenced or taken into account. Where adopted formally, councils should ensure clarity about its status, scope and relationship with other local policies, such as the local code of conduct or equivalent arrangements.

Political leadership, group leaders, chairs and individual councillors all have a role in living the agreed principles and embedding them in the culture of the council. They may do this by making the principles visible, for example, in how meetings are prepared, chaired and conducted.

Democratic services, governance and member development officers can support the use of the principles through advice and training opportunities, but they are not responsible for conduct on behalf of councillors.

The council should decide locally who formally adopts the principles and what that adoption looks like in practice. Embedding the principles is much more important than agreeing on the principles themselves.

These principles are for all councillors. They set shared expectations for how councillors will conduct healthy debate as part of their role.

1. We challenge the idea, policy or proposal, not the person.

Healthy debate tests objectives, evidence, assumptions, consequences and choices. It does not require councillors to question each other's motives, intelligence or character.

2. We listen actively before responding.

Healthy debate is more than taking turns to speak. We respond to points that have actually been made, and we adjust our contribution where the discussion has moved on, rather than simply delivering a position we arrived with.

3. We keep contributions focused on the decision in front of us.

Strong debate can be passionate and uncomfortable, but it should help the meeting test the issue, the options and the consequences. Overly long or repetitious contributions can crowd out other voices and weaken the quality and diversity of the debate.

4. We use evidence and experience well.

Officer advice, data, ward knowledge, professional experience and member experience can all strengthen debate. Lived and personal experience is most useful when they support a clear argument rather than replacing it.

5. We make room for different voices.

Good debate is weakened when only the loudest or most confident voices are heard. Councillors and chairs share responsibility for making space for a range of contributions from across the council chamber.

6. We support the role of the chair or equivalent.

The constitution, standing orders or meeting rules set the conditions for the meeting. The chair's role is to apply them consistently, manage speaking order and keep the debate focused, creating the conditions for open, fair and transparent decision-making. Councillors should respect the role of the chair and their decisions.

7. We recognise that non-verbal behaviour also shapes debate.

Tone, visible reactions, side comments and interruptions affect whether others feel able to contribute. Councillors shape the room even when they are not formally speaking.

8. We take care with how debate travels beyond the meeting.

Councillors model healthy debate in all parts of the role, not only during formal speaking time. How debate is conducted influences public confidence in decisions and trust in institutions. Recorded meetings, clips and social media can affect how debate is understood and how the next meeting begins. The focus stays on the issue, not the person in all settings.

Download model principles template 

The principles are most useful when they are visible at the points where debate is being prepared for, supported or reflected on.

Councils may use them routinely in a number of settings.

• They can be included in induction and member development sessions.
• They can appear in members' handbooks and portals.
• They can support group discussions.
• They can inform chair briefings ahead of contentious meetings.
• They can guide reviews of challenging meetings.

Councils may also wish to make the principles visible to the public, for example on the council website or at the start of webcast meetings, so that residents understand the shared expectations the council has set.

The principles work alongside the other resources in the Healthy debate and debating skills suite. The training pack uses them to anchor discussion, and the evaluative framework uses them as a reference point for checking whether debate culture is changing over time.

This guidance is provided for general information only and does not constitute legal advice. Councils and councillors should seek their own legal advice where appropriate, including before adopting the healthy debate principles locally.