To receive an update from the Monitoring Officer on matters of relevance to the Committee, and to include the following:
(a) Current Member Investigations;
(b) Member Training;
(c) First Annual Report of the Standards Committee; and
(d) Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 - Local Assessment of Complaints against Councillors - Consultation Responses.
Minutes:
The following updates were provided:
Current Member Investigations
Members were advised that there was currently one Member investigation underway and that the Investigating Officer was on target to complete the report for this by the end of February. It was anticipated that the matter would be considered by the Committee towards the end of March/early April.
Member Training
The Deputy Monitoring Officer (DMO) advised that officers had, the previous week, conducted a workshop style training session on the new Code of Conduct for those Members who had not previously attended training on this. The format of the session had proved to be very successful and had been more conducive to Member participation than the larger sessions run by external solicitors. Officers added that they had also provided training on the Code to some of the Parish Councils.
It was noted that seven Councillors had not attended training on the new Code. Officers advised that they would be happy to run a further training session on this, which would take place nearer the end of the current Municipal Year. The Committee requested that those Members who had not undertaken training on this be contacted and advised that it was the Committee's expectation that they should complete such training by the end of the current Municipal Year.
The DMO added that whilst the new Code of Conduct reduced the circumstances in which a Member would have a prejudicial interest, there were instances in which common law issues would come into play meaning it would be inadvisable for Members to participate in certain matters. It was felt that similar workshop style training sessions on bias and predetermination would therefore be useful. Chairmanship training for the Council's Independent Members was also being looked into, together with training on Register of Interests forms and the requirements for local assessment under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.
First Annual Report of the Standards Committee
It was anticipated that a further draft of the Annual Report would be referred to the next meeting of the Committee, with a final draft to be considered at the June meeting. The personal profiles of the members of the Committee were to be added to the Report and any further suggestions for inclusions could be referred to officers.
Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 - Local Assessment of Complaints against Councillors - Consultation Responses
Further to the Committee's previous consideration of how local assessment might be carried out and the Council's current review of the Constitution, one response had been received from Members to the consultation on this which had suggested that any final determinations should be heard by the entire of the Standards Committee and not a separate sub-committee thereof. The DMO advised that a further report on local assessment would be referred to the Committee once the regulations for the revised ethical regime were available. Owing to the delay with the regulations the Council would not be making a decision on any required changes to the Constitution at its meeting in March and would instead consider this a later meeting. It was noted that a Consultation Paper from the Department for Communities and Local Government on Orders and Regulations Relating to the Conduct of Local Authority Members in England appeared later in the agenda for the Committee's consideration.
RESOLVED:
(a) that the updates provided be noted; and
(b) that those Members who had not yet completed training on the new Code of Conduct be advised that it was the Standards Committee's expectation that they do so by the end of the current Municipal Year.