Agenda item - Monitoring Officer's Report

Agenda item

Monitoring Officer's Report

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

Minutes:

The Committee noted the contents of the Monitoring Officer's report and the following issues were raised during consideration of this:

 

(i)         Member Investigations/Associated Matters and Complaints for Local Assessment

 

The Deputy Monitoring Officer advised that no new complaints had been received since publication of the agenda.

 

(ii)        Member Training

 

The Monitoring Officer stated that a meeting of the Member Development Steering Group had taken place the previous week, at which it had been agreed that elected Members had until mid June 2009 by which to complete any appropriate training for the committees, boards or panels on which they now sat.  A date had been set for Councillor Mrs. Doyle to attend Standards Committee/Code of Conduct training and it was noted that Councillor Mrs. Doyle had also attended the Mock Standards Assessment Sub-Committee training which had taken place on 11th May 2009.  The Committee heard that 38 of the Council's 39 elected Members were due to attend planning training the following evening, which represented the seriousness with which Members took their regulatory commitments.

 

In relation to the Council's success in achieving Primary level of the West Midlands Local Government Association Member Development Charter, and with the onset of the 2009/10 municipal year, the Monitoring Officer was currently working with the Council's Learning and Organisational Development Manager to identify any Member requirements over the proceeding twelve months.  Monitoring and evaluation would be the key elements in obtaining the next level of the Member Development Charter. 

 

The Council's further success in obtaining Level 3 of the Equality Standards for Local Government was also noted, which was felt to be of particular significance given the limited resources available in this area to district councils.

 

(iii)       Parish Council matters

 

It was noted that a report detailing the Council's decision in relation to the Terms of Office of the Parish Councils' Representatives on the Standards Committee appeared later in the agenda.

 

(iv)       Annual Report of the Standards Committee

 

Officers apologised that it had not been possible for a draft of the Annual Report to be produced in time for the meeting.  It was agreed that this would be drawn up as soon as possible and that a copy of the draft Report be sent to all members of the Committee for comment, following which officers could finalise this in consultation with the Chairman, without the need of referring this back to a further meeting of the Committee for final approval.

 

(v)        Standards Board Annual Assembly

 

The Deputy Monitoring Officer highlighted the Standards Board's Annual Assembly which was taking place in Birmingham on 12th and 13th October 2009.  Members of the Committee were asked to contact the Monitoring Officer if interested in attending this.  No expressions of interest were expressed at the meeting.

 

(vi)       Standards Board Annual Return

 

The Deputy Monitoring Officer informed the Committee that officers had recently completed the Standards Board's annual on-line return, which covered the period 8th May 2008 (the introduction date of local assessment) to 31st March 2009.  The Annual Return informed the Standards Board of the processes and procedures which the Council operated to manage the local standards framework and had included much more detail than in previous years.

 

Members heard that there was a section of the return associated with leadership which had questioned existing links between the Standards Committee and the Council's senior officers and politicians.  Based on current arrangements, a number of negative responses had had to be given to these questions and it was agreed therefore that a report on this would be referred to the next meeting of the Committee.

 

RESOLVED:

(a)       that the report be noted;

(b)       that any action points detailed in the preamble above be acted upon and reported back to the Committee as appropriate; and

(c)        that authority be delegated to officers, in consultation with the Chairman of the Committee and following consultation with all members of the Committee, to finalise for publication the Committee's Annual Report for 2008/09.

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