Issue - meetings

The report of the Monitoring Officer is attached.

Cases Update

The Monitoring Officer provided a report that updated the Committee on complaints received since the implementation of the existing Standards regime. Since the Committees last meeting on 23 September 2019 one complaint has been received regarding an alleged breach of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct. The Monitoring Officer advised that this complaint is currently on hold pending further information. The complainant has responded to the Monitoring Officers request for more information and the complaint is being reviewed by the Monitoring Officer. The Independent Person has not been consulted at this stage in the investigation.

The Committee asked specific questions in relation to the reporting of complaints to Standards Committee and requested that more information on the nature of a complaint be provided for the Committee to consider, adding that this information would help the Committee to decide whether specific training was required for Councillors’. The Committee suggested that going forward the Monitoring Officer provides information on the nature of complaints from May 2019 onwards. The Monitoring Officer confirmed that a column had been added to the complaints table ‘nature of compaint’ so that this information was available inher report and going forward.

John Baggaley – Independent Person strongly advised that care is needed if the committee is insisting on naming the subject member, as this could be seen as pre-determination should the case go to a Standards Hearing.

The Monitoring Officer agreed to provide information in respect of the nature of retrospective complaints from the start of the Municipal year, May 2019.

Best Practice Principles

The Committee were asked to consider the Best Practice Principles with a view to recommending a Work Programme for their implementation. The Monitoring Officer provided a table as an appendix to the report, which confirmed the principles already adopted by the Council and those principles not yet adopted. In addition, the Monitoring Officer highlighted the principles that were currently under review, and explained she was liaising with her counterparts at neighbouring authorities. The Monitoring Officer advised that the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL), will review implementation of the principles by authorities by March 2020.

It was RESOLVED that:

a)    The report be noted.

b)    The Committee agreed the implementation work programme of the Best Practice Principles.