Ethics and Local Governance - Case Study Example

Ethics and Local Governance The consolidation of citizens’ records at the London Borough of Bren seems to have made operations easier and more effective in comparison to the earlier situation. In this regard, it is realized that the council employees can easily get all the information they need from a single place without having to make many references. Nevertheless, despite the seemingly many advantages brought about by this consolidation, several issues pertaining to ethics might prove a challenge in the future.

The consolidation of citizens’ records is certainly a good aspect but considering that a lot of information would be available to the council employees, some of this information can be misused. The council officers might be tempted to use this information in a manner that would not be proper or acceptable. It is indeed true that the employees of the council might be bound by rules and regulations which govern their conduct and ensures the confidentiality with respect to the information from the citizens.

Nevertheless, despite such ethical requirements, some of the information might be used wrongly in a manner that can affect the citizens. Many of the council employees are constantly working to update the information or to get as much information as possible from the citizens. In such a case, they are bound by the rules to ensure that such information is only used for the intended purposed and should not even be accessed by unauthorized persons. It is therefore important for the workers to strictly adhere to all these rules and regulations in the most effective way and ensure that confidentiality is adhered to.

In the same way, they should only obtain the relevant information and avoid getting anything that is not required by the council (Singer, 2004). This aspect therefore raises a very important ethical consideration which must be realized.The accuracy of the information that is kept in the index largely depends upon the sincerity of the citizens who avail the information. In some instances, some citizens might chose to provide inaccurate information which will eventually affect the overall information kept in the database.

Common ethics require that the citizens comply with the requirements and provide as accurate information as possible. However, some people might choose to lie or give inaccurate information for their personal good. In this case, the council would be working on inaccurate information in the provision of its services in the area. It is very important that every citizen clearly understands why this information is required and the need for the council to obtain it directly from them. It is not actually ethical to provide inaccurate information that is actually meant for the overall public good.

Ethical conduct in this regard is certainly effective in ensuring that the information that is used for making decisions in the council is obtained from the most trusted sources (Stalcup, 2000). In such a case, it becomes very easy to effectively manage the council using the information obtained from the citizens.In case of the United States, there would be considerable differences in the manner in which the ethical aspects would have occurred. Most states make it mandatory for the citizens to comply with the authorities in terms of the provision of information that is intended for the public good (Leach, 2001).

In this regard, it emerges that the information obtained is always very accurate as any inaccuracy can lead to prosecution on the part of the citizen. However, the ethical aspects will remain much the same.ReferencesLeach, R. (2001). Local governance. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave.Singer, P. (2004). Ethics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Stalcup, B. (2000). Ethics. San Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press.