Agenda and minutes

Members are asked to declare any interests they may have in the business to be discussed and/or indicate that Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to them.

Members were asked to declare any interests they may have in the business to be discussed and/or indicate that Section 106 of the Local Government Act applied to them. No such declarations were made.

The minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 31 October 2002 are attached and the Committee is asked to confirm them as a correct record.

RESOLVED:

That the Minutes of the meeting held on 31 October 2002, as set out on pages 6-9 in the minute book, be received, taken as read and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

To consider any applications for dispensations from Members.  Any applications will be circulated at the meeting.

The Town Clerk reported that there had been no requests for dispensations from Members.

The Town Clerk submits a report informing the Committee of the deliberations of the Organisations Working Party on the proposal to change the Committee’s terms of reference.  The Committee is asked to note the report.

The Town Clerk submitted a report informing the Committee of the deliberations of the Organisations Working Party on the proposal to change the Committee’s terms of reference.  It was noted that Standards Committee, at its meeting on 31 October 2002, gave consideration to possible changes/additions to its Terms of Reference and had felt that it may be beneficial to add “consideration of reports, statutory or otherwise, presented to the Standards Committee by the Monitoring Officer”.  The view of the Working Party at its meeting on 13 November 2002, was that the receipt and consideration of Monitoring Officer Reports (when relating to matters of standards/ethics/probity) was fundamental to the role of the Standards Committee and implicit within the existing Terms of Reference and should minor drafting changes be required, these could be incorporated into the annual review of Terms of Reference which were formally approved at the Annual Meeting of Council.

RESOLVED:

That the views expressed by the Organisations Working Party be noted.

The Town Clerk submits a report on the proposed ‘Audit role’ for the Committee and asks Members if they wish to adopt a methodology for the systematic auditing of the Council’s rules, processes and application of ethical standards and associated regulations.

It was noted that, at its meeting on 31 October 2002, the Committee had considered a proposal  for the Standards Committee to fulfil the role of ‘Audit Committee for Standards’.  The Committee had asked for further clarification on  how this role could be carried out.  The Town Clerk therefore now submitted a further report on this proposed ‘Audit role’ and asking the Committee if it wished to adopt a methodology for the systematic auditing of the Council’s rules, processes and application of ethical standards and associated regulations.

RESOLVED:

That the proposed methodology for a pro-active and systematic auditing of the Council’s rules, processes and application of ethical standards and associated regulations, as detailed in the report, be approved.

AGENDA

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO NOTE

Under the law, the Committee is entitled to consider certain items in private.  Members of the public will be asked to leave the meeting when such items are discussed.

The Committee is recommended to consider the following report in private on the grounds that it contains ‘exempt’ information as defined by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, and consequently that the Committee makes the following resolution:-

“that the press and public be excluded during consideration of the following report in accordance with the provisions of Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended, because it involves the likely disclosure of 'exempt' information, as defined in the Paragraph detailed below of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.”

Paragraph 1

Information relating to a particular office holder.

RESOLVED:

That the press and public be excluded during consideration of the following report in accordance with the provisions of Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended, because it involves the likely disclosure of 'exempt' information, as defined in the Paragraph detailed below of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

Paragraph 1

Information relating to a particular office holder.

The Town Clerk submits a report.

The Town Clerk submitted a report briefing the Committee on the number and nature of complaints received against Elected Members.  It was noted that if the number increased over time the report would be in a tabular form.  In future, the names of Councillors would not be used.  Further to the report, the Committee noted that the Standards Board for England were publishing the outcome of cases onto the Internet and were concerned at the publication of the names of Councillors, in cases where it had been found that there was no case to answer.

RESOLVED:

                        (1)            that the report be noted: and

(2)that theTown Clerk write to the Standards Board for England expressing the Committee’s concern at the practice of publicising the names of Councillors in cases where it had been found there was no case to answer.

The meeting closed at 6.15pm.