Community Code of Conduct

Version 2: 21st September 2026

Our Pledge

LocalGov Drupal (LGD) is both a technical project and a professional community. Our strength comes from the collaboration of councils, suppliers and contributors with a wide range of backgrounds and experience. Our community's health relies on mutual respect and a shared set of values and norms.

We are committed to making participation in LocalGov Drupal a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of age, body size, visible or invisible disability, ethnicity, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression, level of experience, education, socio-economic status, nationality, personal appearance, race, caste, colour, religion, or sexual identity and orientation.

Everyone is welcome, but not every behaviour is. This code of conduct describes how we expect community members to behave when interacting with each other. It also applies when we act as representatives of the project or community. In these cases, we have an additional responsibility for the impact of our words and actions.

This code covers individual behaviour in community spaces. It does not cover how organisations contribute, represent LGD commercially, or gain and maintain Certified Supplier status. The supplier code of practice covers those.

 

Scope

This code applies across all LGD community spaces, regardless of your working relationship outside the project. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Slack and other chat spaces
  • GitLab issues
  • mailing lists
  • community meetups, working groups and events, online or in person
  • video calls and virtual meeting spaces
  • any other place where community members gather to communicate or collaborate

This code also applies when someone officially represents the LGD community in public, for example by using an official email address, posting via an official social media account, or acting as an appointed representative at an event.

The LGD community overlaps with other communities, including Drupal and individual workplaces. If a complaint spans multiple communities or channels, we may tailor our response to the circumstances and work with our counterparts where appropriate.

Our Standards

Maintaining a welcoming community is a shared responsibility. 

We value the unique talents, backgrounds, identities, and experiences of our members. Without you, we would not have a project or community. It is up to all of us to keep this community a friendly, welcoming, and inclusive place for everyone. We appreciate your support.

The sections below set out what this looks like in practice, drawing on the Drupal community's code of conduct.

 

We consider the needs of others

As an open source project, we build on others' work. We are mindful of the people who use and rely on our work, and we act with patience, kindness and understanding.

Positive behaviour looks like:

  • demonstrating empathy and kindness toward other people
  • using welcoming and inclusive language
  • being aware of cultural and organisational differences
  • focusing on what is best for the overall community, including those who are most vulnerable

Unacceptable behaviour includes:

  • demeaning others' opinions or efforts
  • being condescending or unwelcoming
  • discrimination against vulnerable or marginalised members of our community

 

We treat each other with respect, even when we disagree

Disagreement is normal and expected. It is not an excuse for poor behaviour. We do not let frustration turn into personal attacks.

Positive behaviour looks like:

  • being respectful of differing opinions, viewpoints and experiences
  • respecting other people's boundaries
  • giving and gracefully accepting constructive feedback

Unacceptable behaviour includes:

  • trolling, insulting or derogatory comments, and personal or political attacks
  • initiating controversy for the sake of controversy
  • public or private harassment

 

We work collaboratively and in the open

Where possible, we work in the open, document our work, and invite others to collaborate. We take responsibility for our words and actions, and we listen with an open mind.

Positive behaviour looks like:

  • accepting responsibility for mistakes, and learning from them
  • accepting help from others
  • giving credit to the people whose work you are building on

Unacceptable behaviour includes:

  • deliberately inflating your own contribution, or taking credit for someone else's work
  • blocking or restricting access to knowledge that would help others ("gatekeeping")
  • being disrespectful of other people's contributions

 

We do not tolerate abusive behaviour

Everyone shares responsibility for speaking up against harassment, intimidation, bullying and abuse.

Unacceptable behaviour includes:

  • the use of sexualised language or imagery, and unwelcome sexual attention or advances of any kind
  • violent or abusive language directed at another person or group
  • sexist, racist, homophobic, transphobic, ableist or exclusionary statements, regardless of intent
  • publishing someone else's private information, such as a physical or email address, without their explicit permission
  • deliberate intimidation, stalking or following
  • other conduct which could reasonably be considered inappropriate in a professional setting

 

We ask for help well

We ask questions in simple, polite language. Before asking, we check existing documentation to see if the answer is already there, and if we find it is out of date, we help get it fixed.

We recognise that maintainers and contributors give their time freely, and that new community members may not yet have the same knowledge or experience as others.

Positive behaviour looks like:

  • asking clarifying questions considerately directing new members to where they can find the answers they need

Unacceptable behaviour includes:

  • repeatedly asking maintainers or contributors for help without first trying other sources

 

We step down considerately

People come and go from every community, and LocalGov Drupal is no different. When it is time to take a break or move on, we do so in a way that minimises disruption: telling people we are leaving, and helping others pick up where we left off.

Positive behaviour looks like:

  • taking breaks when needed
  • setting others up for success before stepping away
  • succession planning for anyone in a leadership or maintainer role

Unacceptable behaviour includes:

  • abandoning or quitting in a disruptive or destructive way

 

Enforcement

You may report instances of abusive, harassing, or otherwise unacceptable behaviour to the community leaders responsible for enforcement at conduct@localgovdrupal.org. We will review and investigate all complaints promptly and fairly.

Those who have access to the email address above are:

  • Will Callaghan, Product Lead
  • Tim Hunt, Communications Lead

All community leaders must respect the privacy and security of any reporter.

Enforcement responsibilities

Those with defined responsibilities ("community leaders") are responsible for clarifying and enforcing our standards of acceptable behaviour. They will take appropriate and fair corrective action in response to any behaviour they deem inappropriate, threatening, offensive, or harmful.

Community leaders have the right and responsibility to remove, edit, or reject comments, commits, code, wiki edits, issues, and other contributions that are not aligned with this code. They will communicate the reasons for moderation decisions when appropriate.

Concerns about how a supplier organisation contributes, represents LGD, or maintains Certified Supplier status are handled under the supplier code of practice, not this code.

Enforcement Guidelines

Community leaders will follow these Community Impact Guidelines in determining the consequences for any action they deem a violation of this code.

1. Correction

Community impact: use of inappropriate language or other behaviour deemed unprofessional or unwelcome in the community.

Consequence: a private, written warning from community leaders, explaining the nature of the violation and why the behaviour was inappropriate. A public apology may be required.

2. Warning

Community impact: a violation through a single incident or a series of actions.

Consequence: a warning with consequences for continued behaviour. No interaction with the people involved, including unsolicited interaction with those enforcing the code, for a specified period. This includes community spaces and external channels such as social media. Violating these terms may lead to a temporary or permanent ban.

3. Temporary ban

Community impact: a serious violation of community standards, including sustained inappropriate behaviour.

Consequence: a temporary ban from any interaction or public communication with the community for a specified period. No public or private interaction with the people involved is allowed during this period. Violating these terms may lead to a permanent ban.

4. Permanent ban

Community impact: a pattern of violating community standards, including sustained inappropriate behaviour, harassment of an individual, or aggression toward or disparagement of groups of people.

Consequence: a permanent ban from any public interaction within the community.

We value the unique talents, backgrounds, identities, and experiences of our members. Without you, we would not have a project or community. It is up to all of us to keep this community a friendly, welcoming, and inclusive place for everyone. We appreciate your support.

Acknowledgements

This Code of Conduct is adapted from the Contributor Covenant, version 2.1, and from the Drupal Code of Conduct, both available under Creative Commons licences.

Community Impact Guidelines were inspired by Mozilla's code of conduct enforcement ladder.

For answers to common questions about the Contributor Covenant, see the FAQ at contributor-covenant.org/faq. Translations are available at contributor-covenant.org/translations.