Committee details

TERMS OF REFERENCE

1.    To oversee and promote the Council’s arrangements to ensure and maintain probity and the highest standards of governance in the conduct of business by members (including co-opted members) and officers.

2.    To oversee and advise Full Council and the City Mayor on matters relating to the Council’s corporate governance and ethical framework.

3.    To receive the Council’s annual Corporate Governance Review Statement.

4.    To oversee, promote, monitor observance and recommend necessary change to Members’ and officers’ Codes of Conduct and Political Conventions.

5.    To oversee and ensure the provision of appropriate training to Members and officers to enable them to adhere at all times to the provisions of the Council’s Political Conventions and governance arrangements.

6.    To appoint a subcommittee ( the Standards Advisory Board or where appropriate, a Hearing Panel) to scrutinise, hear and determine appropriate allegations (as set out in the Authority’s “Arrangements for dealing with Standards Complaints”) that a Member of the Council has failed, or may have failed, to comply with the Council’s Code of Conduct.

7.    Save in exceptional circumstances, to accept the recommendations of the subcommittee who have determined that an Elected or Co-opted Member of the Council has failed to comply with the City Council’s Code of Conduct for Members, including its recommendations as to the appropriate remedy or sanction for such breach.

8.    To consider under Sections 1 and 2 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989:-

(a)  any application received from any officer of the Council for exemption from political restriction in respect of the post held by that officer and may direct the Council that the post shall not be considered to be a politically restricted post and that the post be removed from the list maintained by the Council under Section 2(2) of that Act; and,

(b)  upon the application of any person or otherwise, consider whether a post should be included in the list maintained by the Council under Section 2(2) of the 1989 Act, and may direct the Council to include a post in that list.

9.    Temporary appointments of Independent Members may be made in accordance with the law and upon appropriate advice from the Monitoring Officer.

10. The Standards Committee:

·         Composition - The Standards Committee shall comprise nine Members, made up of four Elected Councillors and five Independent Members. The Independent Members shall be co-opted non-voting members of the Standards Committee, and it shall be chaired by an Elected Councillor. The Councillor make-up of the Committee will, wherever possible, reflect the political balance of the Council.

·         Quorum – The quorum for a meeting of the Standards Committee shall be three Councillor Members.

·         Frequency of Meetings –The Standards Committee will meet as and when required.

11. The subcommittee (Standards Advisory Board and Hearing Panel):

·         Composition - The subcommittee 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 subcommittee shall be three, with a majority or equal number of Independent Members (with the Independent Chair having the casting vote).

·         Frequency of Meetings –The relevant subcommittee will meet as and when required.

12. The role of the Independent Person (IP) – the Independent Person is not a member of either the Standards Committee or its subcommittee. He/she remains completely neutral to the political and scrutiny process, and works closely with the Monitoring Officer on individual complaints at the initial decision and review phases. He/she does remain a standing invitee to meetings of the relevant subcommittee and will attend subcommittee meetings to offer advice on the progression of individual complaints, which may or may not be adopted by the subcommittee.

Matters Reserved to the Committee:

1.    All matters of significance in respect of policy, governance or training are reserved to the Committee.

2.    All matters within the Terms of Reference of the Standards Committee which are not reserved to Full Council or this Committee, either by legislation, regulation or local determination, are delegated to the City Barrister and Head of Standards.