Venue: Meeting Room 1, Pathfinder House, St Mary's Street, Huntingdon PE29 3TN
Contact: Ms C Deller, Democratic Services Manager, Tel No 01480 388007/e-mail: Christine.Deller@huntsdc.gov.
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To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 5th July 2007. Contact: C Deller 388007 Minutes: The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 5th July 2007 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. |
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MEMBERS' INTERESTS To receive from Members declarations as to personal and/or prejudicial interests and the nature of those interests in relation to any agenda item. Please see Notes 1 and 2 below. Minutes: Councillor J D Ablewhite declared a personal interest in Minute No. 18 by virtue of his involvement in the case reported. |
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ARTICLE 9 - STANDARDS COMMITTEE Further to Minute No.13, to note the contents of Article 9 of the Constitution relating to the Standards Committee. Minutes: Further to Item No. 13 of the Minutes of the meeting held on 5th July 2007, the Committee received and noted the content of Article 9 of the Constitution relating to the Standards Committee (a copy of Article 9 is appended in the Minute Book).
It was further noted that an updated copy of the Constitution would be forwarded to the Independent Members and Parish Council representatives in due course. |
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CODE OF CONDUCT - NOTIFICATIONS To consider a report by the Director of Central Services and Monitoring Officer regarding notifications received from the Standards Board for England on decisions made in respect of allegations of misconduct by a District Councillor and by Members serving on St. Ives Town Council. Contact: C Deller 388007 Minutes: (See Item No. 16 for Members’ Interests).
The Committee received and noted a report by the Director of Central Services and Monitoring Officer (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) regarding the decision of the Standards Board for England not to take any further action in relation to allegations made against one Member of the District Council and six Councillors serving on St. Ives Town Council.
In discussion, the Monitoring Officer confirmed that lack of knowledge/understanding was unlikely to be considered by the Standards Board for England as an acceptable reason for non-compliance with the Code of Conduct. |
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CODE OF CONDUCT COMPLAINTS - THE FUTURE To consider a report by the Director of Central Services and Monitoring Officer. Contact: C Deller 388007 Additional documents: Minutes: By way of a report by the Director of Central Services and Monitoring Officer (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) Members were advised of the implications for the Committee’s workload of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Bill which was expected to receive Royal Assent in the Autumn and come into force in April 2008.
The Committee were informed that the Bill proposed two key changes to the management of compliance with the Code of Conduct including a requirement for Standards Committees to receive and make initial assessments of conduct allegations relating to the Code. The Standards Board would assume a strategic and regulatory role providing supervision, support and guidance to local authorities to ensure a degree of consistency in the application of the Code.
Although noting the Standards Board assessment of the likely impact of the changes on the majority of authorities, the Committee acknowledged that, whilst this information was useful, an accurate picture of the extent of the workload involved would only emerge once the new regime was in operation. Whilst recognising that further information would be available once the Bill received Royal Assent, Members anticipated that there would need to be an increase in the number the meetings of the Committee and/or Sub-Committees and perhaps a requirement for an additional Parish Council representative.
As Standards Committees also would be able to resolve cases by alternative means such as mediation or training, the Chairman undertook to raise the issue of shared expertise in mediation at a forthcoming meeting of the Cambridgeshire Standards Committees Network. Whereupon, it was
RESOLVED
that the report now submitted be received and noted. |
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To consider a report by the Director of Central Services and Monitoring Officer. Contact: C Deller 388007 Additional documents: Minutes: Members received and noted a report by the Director of Central Services and Monitoring Officer (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) which updated the Committee on the response received to the training activity undertaken by the Monitoring Officer on the new Code of Conduct.
Given the disappointing response by District Councillors to the sessions held thus far, the Monitoring Officer indicated his intention to encourage those Members who had not yet attended to make every effort to do so at an additional event programmed to take place after the Council meeting in September.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the Committee was invited to view “The Code Uncovered” – a DVD produced by the Standards Board for England. |
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DATE OF NEXT MEETING To note that the next ordinary meeting of the Committee will be held on Thursday 6th December 2007 at 4pm. Minutes: It was noted that the next meeting of the Committee would be held at 4pm on Thursday 6th December 2007. |