Gifts and hospitality - Code of Conduct - Gifts

It is important for all staff to remain alert to actual and potential conflicts of interest where gifts are offered from third parties that are able to provide goods, services or works to the council. As a result, save as set out below any offer of a gift should be politely refused. The council recognises that there is a need for a proportionate approach and as a result staff are able to accept: 

• gifts of a nominal value of £20 or less
• gifts of a value in excess of £20 if your line manager has approved the gift

Reporting gifts 

All offers of gifts (even if the gift is refused in accordance with this policy), excluding promotional items and items of a nominal value, must be reported via the Council’s online reporting tool. Details of how to use the tool are set out at Appendix 1. Line managers will monitor records of gifts and hospitality and annual reports are submitted to the Council’s Chief Legal Officer and Director of Finance.

Gifts Received without warning 

Where gifts are received without prior warning, and are unable to be refused, for example where they are unexpectedly delivered to the Council offices, the gift should be reported via the council’s online reporting tool and your manager should arrange for the gift to be: 

• donated to charity, for example to the Chairman’s charity
• donated to a council care home or children’s home (this will be more appropriate for gifts of flowers for example). In all cases the organisation giving the gift should be contacted and advised that it has been donated to charity or a care/children’s home as appropriate

Gifts from organisations involved in a tender process 

Gifts from organisations involved in an active tender process, dispute or negotiation must never be accepted. A tender process is considered ‘active’ from the point at which the tender documents start to be developed, until the contract is awarded. Staff should be aware that larger organisations may be tendering for work in other parts of the council. If staff are unsure whether there is an active tender process underway then they should contact Corporate Commissioning, Procurement and Contract Management.

Examples The following are examples of gifts that may be retained by staff and do not need reporting: 

• pens, notepads, calendar and other items of branded stationary
• goodie bags from conferences and courses or samples; 
• coffee, tea or other light refreshments during external meetings, events or travel, where the estimated value is less than £20

The following are examples of gifts that must be reported and may be retained by staff if their managers approval is obtained: 

• items of sentimental value to the giver or staff member and relatively low value, following the gift givers death or exit from Council care. It is not normally expected that such gifts would be materially more than £20, but this is at managers discretion
• any other gift from a Council service user or Member, including flowers, Christmas gifts, thank you presents and other expressions of gratitude
• prizes with an estimated value of more than £20 from external competitions entered into as part of staff members work. 

The following are examples of gifts that must be reported and politely refused:

• gift certificates of any value or cash
• loans, discounts or other preferential treatment for staff or family members (other than those provided as part of a Council scheme) of any value 
• hampers with an estimated value of more than £20