METHOD OF OPERATION OF BOARD
The Board’s terms of reference are set out within the Terms of Reference for the Standards Committee, as shown below:-
· Composition - The Standards Advisory Board shall comprise nine Members, made up of four Elected Councillors and five Independent Members. The Independent Members shall be co-opted voting members of the Board, and it shall be chaired by an Independent Member.
· Quorum – The quorum for a meeting of the Board shall be three, with a majority or equal number of Independent Members (with the Independent Chair having the casting vote)
· Frequency of Meetings –The Standards Advisory Board will meet as and when required.
The Board is recommended to consider how it wishes to operate. For example:-
o Is there a preferred time and/or day for meetings?
o Should the four Councillors who are members of the Standards Committee all attend each Boar meeting, or should a rota be established?
o Should efforts be made to fill the current vacancy for an Independent Member, or is there currently a sufficient number of Independent Members to enable the Board to function effectively?
Minutes:
The Monitoring Officer reported that the Board’s terms of reference were set out within the Terms of Reference for the Standards Committee, as shown below:-
· Composition - The Standards Advisory Board shall comprise nine Members, made up of four Elected Councillors and five Independent Members. The Independent Members shall be co-opted voting members of the Board, and it shall be chaired by an Independent Member.
· Quorum – The quorum for a meeting of the Board shall be three, with a majority or equal number of Independent Members (with the Independent Chair having the casting vote)
· Frequency of Meetings –The Standards Advisory Board will meet as and when required.
The Board was asked to consider how it wished to operate and specifically consider the following points:-
o Was there a preferred time and/or day for meetings?
o Should the four Councillors who are members of the Standards Committee all attend each Board meeting, or should a rota be established?
o Should efforts be made to fill the current vacancy for an Independent Member, or was there currently a sufficient number of Independent Members to enable the Board to function effectively?
The Board noted that it would only meet on an Ad Hoc basis when it was required to consider a report on an investigation of a complaint. The Board did not feel there was a need to establish a rota of Councillors to attend meetings at the present time. It was felt that the requirements of the quorum stated above could be managed by ascertaining the attendance of independent members in advance of the meeting and then liaising with Councillors to ensure that their number would not exceed the number of independent members intending to be present. This would ensure that Councillors did not attend a meeting and then have to leave should their number exceed the number of independent members attending. It was also considered that the current vacancy for the independent member should remain unfilled at the present time but be kept under review and be reconsidered if the level of activity for the Board required it to be filled.
RESOLVED:
that the Board’s comments be noted and implemented and the operation of the Board be reviewed in March to determine if any changes are required.