Venue: Meeting Room 1, Pathfinder House, St Mary's Street, Huntingdon PE29 3TN
Contact: Ms C Deller, Democratic Services Manager, Tel No 01480 388007
No. | Item |
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ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN To elect a Chairman of the Committee. Minutes: RESOLVED
that Councillor P J Brant be elected Chairman of the Committee for the ensuing Municipal Year.
Councillor P J Brant in the Chair. |
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MINUTES To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 26th March 2003. Minutes: The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 26th March 2003 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman. |
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APPOINTMENT OF VICE-CHAIRMAN To appoint a Vice-Chairman of the Committee. Minutes: RESOLVED
that Councillor A Hansard be appointed Vice-Chairman of the Committee for the ensuing Municipal Year. |
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APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT MEMBERS AND TOWN AND PARISH COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES To note the appointment by Council of Messrs D H Bristow, D L Hall and D Pattisson as Independent Members to the Standards Committee.
The Council also have invited the Cambridgeshire Association of Local Councils to nominate two representatives, to serve on the Standards Committee for the ensuing Municipal Year. Confirmation of the names of the representatives is awaited. Minutes: The Committee noted the appointment by Council of Messrs D H Bristow, D L Hall and D Pattisson as Independent Members on the Committee and welcomed to the meeting Messrs D McPherson and G Watkins nominated by the Cambridgeshire Association of Local Councils as representatives of town and parish councils in the District. |
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ALLEGATION OF MISCONDUCT To consider a report by the Executive Director of Central Services and Monitoring Officer regarding the receipt, by the Standards Board for England, of an allegation of misconduct against a Member of a local Council in the District. Minutes: By reference to a report by the Executive Director of Central Services and Monitoring Officer (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Committee noted that the Standards Board for England had agreed not to take any further action in relation to an allegation of misconduct against a St. Ives Town Councillor. |
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APPLICATIONS FOR DISPENSATIONS To consider a report by the Executive Director of Central Services and Monitoring Officer on applications received for dispensations from three town and parish councils. Minutes: The Committee were apprised, via a report by the Executive Director of Central Services and Monitoring Officer (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) of applications received from Great Gransden and Grafham Parish Councils and Huntingdon Town Council for dispensations to allow Members of those Councils to discuss and vote on matters relating to particular circumstances in their parishes.
Having been reminded of the provisions of the Relevant Authorities Standards Committee (Dispensations) Regulations 2002 and being satisfied that approval was required to prevent the transaction of town/parish Council business from being impeded, the Committee
RESOLVED
that dispensations to speak and vote on matters relating to specific community premises in their parishes be granted to Great Gransden and Grafham Parish Councils and Huntingdon Town Council for the period ending 30th April 2007. |
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EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC To resolve:
that the public be excluded from the meeting in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 because the business to be transacted relates to the recipient of a service provided by the Council and that persons financial affairs. Minutes: RESOLVED
that the public be excluded from the meeting in accordance with Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 because the business to be transacted relates to the recipient of a service provided by the Council and that persons financial affairs. |
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HOUSING BENEFIT COMPLAINT: AWARD OF COMPENSATION To consider a report by the Head of Revenues Services regarding the payment of compensation under the Council’s complaints system. Minutes: A report by the Head of Revenue Services was submitted (a copy of which is appended in the annexe to the Minute Book) regarding the outcome of an investigation following a complaint made under the Council’s internal complaints system.
In accordance with the Council’s scheme of delegation, the Committee noted the action which had been taken, after consultation with the Chairman, to resolve the matter and to ensure that the circumstances that had led to the original complaint would not reoccur. |
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LOCAL AUTHORITIES (CODE OF CONDUCT) (LOCAL DETERMINATION) REGULATIONS 2003 To consider a report by the Executive Director of Central Services and Monitoring Officer on the recent publication of regulations on the procedures to be followed by the Committee when considering allegations of misconduct. Minutes: Further to Minute No. 02/6, the Committee received and noted a report by the Democratic Services Manager (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) describing the content of the Local Authorities (Code of Conduct) (Local Determination) Regulations 2003 which were to come into force on 30th June 2003.
Members were reminded that they had responded to a Government Consultation Paper relating to the local investigation and determination of misconduct allegations and that the Regulations, published under Section 66 of the Local Government Act 2000, reflected the contributions made by the Committee and over 1,000 respondees during the consultation process.
The Committee discussed in general terms Part II of the Regulations relating to the consideration of matters referred to them by the Ethical Standards Officers (ESOs) at the Standards Board for England and the sanctions that could be imposed should the Committee conclude that there had been a failure to comply with the Code of Conduct. It was also noted that guidance was awaited from the Standards Board to assist the Committee in the application of the Regulations in practice and that further regulations were anticipated which would provide a framework for ESOs to refer matters to Monitoring Officers for investigation locally. |