Issue - meetings

[To receive a report from the Monitoring Officer on any matters of relevance to the Committee.]

The Deputy Monitoring Officer (DMO) introduced the Monitoring Officer's (MO) report and, in doing so, updated Members on the position with the Register of Members' Disclosable Pecuniary Interests forms (DPI forms) which had so far been received from district and parish councillors.  A number of drop-in sessions had taken place for Members who wished to seek assistance on completing their forms and numerous enquiries had been received from Members and Parish Council Clerks on the new interests' regime.  Further guidance was awaited from the Department for Communities and Local Government on how the forms should be completed and it was confirmed that none of the DPI forms would be published on the Council's website until such guidance had been issued.

The DMO added that a meeting had taken place with the Parish Council Clerks and Richard Levett of the Worcestershire County Association of Local Councils the previous week to discuss how DPI forms would be dealt with in accordance with the requirements set out in the Localism Act, and a process had been agreed with them in that regard.

Regarding the non-appointment of Independent Persons under the new standards regime, Officers would be running a further recruitment exercise and discussions had taken place with Members who had been in attendance at the initial round of interviews to consider how to best target any future advertisement to encourage more people to apply.  It was hoped to reconvene the Appointments Committee for further interviews some time in September.  

The DMO reported that the three Code of Conduct training sessions which had taken place in June had been well attended, particularly by the parishes.  It was noted that there might be a need to undertake further similar sessions in the autumn.  No dates had yet been established in this regard and the matter would be reviewed in due course.

An update was given by the DMO in relation to investigations which had been ongoing under the former standards regime and the transitional provisions in relation to these.  The DMO stated that the transitional arrangements did not allow Officers to continue with the investigations and that letters had that day been sent to the Members concerned detailing the position.  It was also noted that Councillor Dr. Booth had attended the required Code of Conduct training in June.

Finally, having missed the mandatory 'Introduction to the Standards Committee' training earlier that evening, it was noted that Councillors Booth and Mallett would be required to complete equivalent training with either the MO or DMO prior to their sitting on the Committee.

RESOLVED

(a)       that the contents of the report be noted; and

(b)       that any required actions arising from the points detailed in the report and the preamble above be acted upon, as appropriate.