Venue: Room CVSO 1A, Civic Suite, 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.uk
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ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN To elect a Chairman of the Committee for the ensuing Municipal Year. Minutes: RESOLVED
that Mr D L Hall be elected Chairman of the Committee for the ensuing Municipal Year. |
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To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 3rd March 2011.
Further to Minute No. 39 and following support from the Council for the Committee’s recommendation regarding the formulation of a national Code of Conduct, a letter has been sent to the Local Government Association to which a reply has yet to be received. Contact: C Deller 388007 Minutes: The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 3rd March 2011 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.
Further to Minute No. 39, the Monitoring Officer reported that the Council had, at its meeting held on 20th April 2011, endorsed the recommendation of the Committee regarding the formulation of a national code of conduct and that subsequently a letter had been sent to the Local Government Association (LGA) to which a reply had yet to be received.
As it was reported that Cambridgeshire County Council also had written in similar terms to the LGA, the Committee was hopeful that the proposals would receive a positive response. |
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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 Items – please see Notes 1 and 2 below. Minutes: No declarations were received. |
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APPOINTMENT OF VICE-CHAIRMAN To appoint a Vice-Chairman of the Committee for the ensuing Municipal Year. (In recent years it has been the practice to appoint a Vice-Chairman from the independent Members and for that person to be subsequently appointed as Lead Member of the Referrals (Assessment) Sub-Committee. In a review of Members’ Allowances, it was recommended (and approved by the Council) that the Independent Vice-Chairman of the Committee should receive an allowance equivalent to that payable were an elected Member appointed to the role – ie. £927.) Minutes: RESOLVED
that Mr P Boothman be appointed Vice-Chairman of the Committee for the ensuing Municipal Year. |
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SUB-COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS (a) Referrals (Assessment) Sub-Committee
To appoint Members to the Referrals (Assessment) Sub-Committee comprising one Independent Member who shall be Chairman and Lead Member, one Parish Council representative and one District Councillor. (In 2010/2011, the Committee appointed Mr Lynch as a Lead Independent Member and Chairman of the Sub-Committee.)
(b) Review Sub-Committee
To appoint Members to the Review Sub-Committee comprising one Independent Member who shall be Chairman and Lead Member, one Parish Council representative and one District Councillor.
(In 2010/2011, the Committee appointed Mr P Boothman as Lead Independent Member and Chairman of the Sub-Committee).
(c) Standards (Consideration and Hearing) Sub-Committee
To appoint five Members to comprise the Standards (Consideration and Hearing) Sub-Committee to consider investigation reports and to hold determination hearings. This Sub-Committee must be chaired by an independent person.
(In 2010/2011 the Committee appointed Mr D Hall as Lead Independent Member.)
The Committee will recall that in June 2009 they authorised the Head of Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer, after consultation with the relevant Chairman, to convene meetings of the above Sub-Committees as necessary and to appoint Members as appropriate in accordance with the Standards Committee (England) Regulations 2008. Minutes: RESOLVED
(a) that a Referrals (Assessment) Sub-Committee be appointed comprising one Independent Member, one Town and Parish Councillor and one District Councillor and that Mr P Boothman be elected Lead Independent Member and Chairman of the Sub-Committee;
(b) that a Review Sub-Committee be appointed comprising one Independent Member, one Town and Parish Councillor and one District Councillor and that Mr M Lynch be elected Lead Independent Member and Chairman of the Sub-Committee;
(c) that a Standards (Consideration and Hearing) Sub-Committee be appointed to comprise five Members to consider investigation reports and hold determination hearings and that Mr D L Hall be elected Lead Independent Member and Chairman of the Sub-Committee; and
(d) that the Head of Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer, after consultation with the relevant Chairman, be authorised to convene meetings of the Referrals (Assessment), Review and Standards (Consideration and Hearing) Sub-Committees as necessary and to appoint Members to the various Sub-Committees as appropriate in accordance with the Standards Committee (England) Regulations 2008. |
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REPORTS OF THE SUB-COMMITTEES To receive a report from the Chairman of the Referrals (Assessment) Sub-Committee –
Since the last meeting in March, the Sub-Committee has met on 14th June 2011 to assess two complaints from different individuals about a Councillor serving on Upwood and The Raveleys Parish Council. As one of the complaints related to a failure to declare personal and prejudicial interests, the Sub-Committee considered that the Councillor involved should receive training on the code of conduct and that such training also be offered, but not be compulsory, for the other Members of the Parish Council. Should the Councillor choose not to attend a training session, then the Sub-Committee would reconsider the case.
Given the seriousness of the second complaint which involved financial impropriety, the Sub-Committee referred the case to the Monitoring Officer for investigation.
The Sub-Committee meets again on 1st July 2011 to consider complaints received by the Monitoring Officer about Councillors serving on St. Neots Town/Huntingdonshire District Councils and St. Ives Town Council. A report on the outcome will be presented at the meeting.
The Review and Consideration & Hearing Sub-Committees have not been required to meet during this period. Minutes: The Chairman of the Referrals (Assessment) Sub-Committee reported on the outcome of those cases considered by the Sub-Committee since March involving Members serving on Upwood and The Raveleys Parish Council and St. Neots and St. Ives Town Councils.
Having been advised that the Councillor involved in the case relating to Upwood and the Raveleys Parish Council had subsequently resigned from office, the Committee endorsed the view of the Sub-Committee that the case should still be referred for investigation given the seriousness of the allegations that had been made.
It was noted that the Review and Consideration and Hearing Sub-Committees had not been required to meet during the period. |
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APPLICATION FOR DISPENSATION To consider a report by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services in respect of an application received for dispensation from St. Ives Town Council. Contact: C Deller 388007 Minutes: A report by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer was submitted (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) regarding an application received for a dispensation from St. Ives Town Council.
It was explained that the Committee had originally granted dispensation to fifteen Members of the Town Council at its meeting held on 4th March 2010 to enable those Councillors to speak and vote at meetings on matters likely to affect a community interest company set up to manage the Corn Exchange in St. Ives. As three of the original Members had subsequently resigned, the Town Council had requested that the newly elected Councillors similarly be granted the same dispensation for the remainder of the term of office of the Town Council to 30th April 2012.
In the circumstances, the Committee
RESOLVED
that dispensation be granted to speak and vote to Councillors T Bletsoe, T Drye and Mrs D Townsend until 30th April 2012 after which time an application for the newly elected Councillors would need to be submitted should it be considered necessary. |
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LOG OF CODE OF CONDUCT ENQUIRIES To note the Code of Conduct enquiries recorded by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services since the meeting held in March. Contact: C Meadowcroft 388021 Minutes: The Committee received and noted the Code of Conduct enquiries which had been recorded by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services and the Monitoring Officer since the last meeting in March (an extract of the log is appended in the Minute Book). |
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Since the last meeting, the Monitoring Officer has presented training on the Code of Conduct to Ramsey Town Council and to newly elected District Councillors as part of their “New Member Induction”.
Arrangements also are being made to visit St. Neots Town Council, as part of their induction process and Upwood and The Raveleys Parish Council in compliance with a Referrals (Assessment) Sub-Committee decision referred to in Agenda Item 6.
To note a recent case summary published by “Standards for England”. Minutes: The Monitoring Officer reported that since the last meeting he had presented training on the code of conduct to Ramsey Town Council and to newly elected District Councillors as part of their “new Member induction”.
Arrangements also had been made to visit St. Neots Town Council as part of their induction process. A recent case summary published by “Standards for England” also was noted. |
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DATE OF NEXT MEETING The next meeting of the Committee is due to take place at 4pm on Thursday 8th September 2011 in the Civic Suite at Pathfinder House. Minutes: It was noted that the next meeting of the Committee would be held at 4pm on Thursday 8th September 2011. |