Issue - meetings

[Attention is drawn to the list of publications below which the Committee may find of interest.  Any publications which are of direct relevance to the Committee will be copied into the agenda papers for reference.  The links of all publications are included for online viewing:

(i)         University of Hull and Teesside University: Assessing the impact of standards committees - link: http://www.standardsforengland.gov.uk/media/AssessingTheImpactOfStandardsCommittees2009.pdf

(ii)        Standards for England: Bulletins - link: http://www.standardsforengland.gov.uk/News/Newsletters/TheBulletin/

(iii)       Standards for England: Notifications to parish and town councils concerning complaints about their members and the Standards Committee (England) Regulations 2008 - link: http://www.standardsforengland.gov.uk/Guidance/TheCodeofConduct/Guidance/Quickguides/Notificationstoparishandtowncouncilsconcerni/ ] 

Members noted the publications detailed in the agenda and the Deputy Monitoring Officer ("DMO") advised of further publications which had come to her attention that week, which included a document published by Standards for England ("SfE") on a review which it had undertaken of the local standards framework.  The document set out a list of matters which SfE felt were wrong with the current system and included a number of recommendations to the Department for Communities and Local Government.  A 'Regulatory Statement' had also been produced by SfE which detailed information in relation to SfE's role as a regulator.  It was noted that both documents were available on SfE's website.

The DMO stated that at the recent Monitoring Officer's Conference SfE had advised that it would be taking on the lead role as regulator and that it would be formally categorising authorities as requiring either high, medium or low levels of intervention by SfE.  The system was to be implemented in the new municipal year and it appeared that SfE would be taking into account fairly crude factors when categorising authorities.  The MO advised of what might be a possible alignment of processes between SfE's new flag system and information which authorities were currently required to provide to the Audit Commission in order to demonstrate, through a use of resources scoring, where they sat in relation to service delivery as an organisation, one of the key lines of enquiry of which related to ethical governance. 

Further details in this regard were due to be published shortly, which officers agreed to update the Committee on once available.    

RESOLVED that the publications detailed and position in relation to Standards for England's enhanced role as local authority regulator be noted.