Agenda and minutes

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Items
No. Item

1.

WELCOME AND INTRODUCTIONS

Minutes:

The Chair (Dr Axel Palmer) welcomed everyone to the meeting by explaining that this meeting is being held under The Local Authorities and Police and Crime Panels (Coronavirus) (Flexibility of Local Authority and Police and Crime Panel Meetings) (England and Wales) Regulations 2020.  The Council has agreed a protocol to cover virtual meetings and this meeting will operate in line with that protocol.  The meeting has the same status and validity as a meeting held in the Guildhall.

2.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTION

Minutes:

There were none.

3.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

At this point in the meeting declarations of interest are received from Members in any of the agenda items under consideration at the meeting. Members are asked to indicate:

(a) The agenda item number in which they have an interest to declare.

(b) The nature of their interest.

(c) Whether their interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or an other interest,  (as defined in Part 2, A and B of the Code of Conduct and Rules for Registration of Interests)

Any Member who needs to clarify any matters relating to the declaration of interests is recommended to seek advice from the Council’s Monitoring Officeror a member of his staff before the meeting to expedite dealing with the item during the meeting.

Minutes:

There were none.

4.

TO ANNOUNCE ANY URGENT BUSINESS AGREED BY THE CHAIR

The Chair will announce any items of urgent business accepted since the agenda was prepared under the Access to Information provisions.

Minutes:

The Chair informed the meeting that he has agreed to bring the list of best practice recommendations for Local Government produced by the Committee on Standards in Public Life (attached as Appendix 1) for consideration at this point, as urgent business.

 

The Monitoring Officer confirmed that Standards Committee Members have received the list of best practice recommendations for Local Government paper.  The reason why this item had been asked for urgent consideration by the Committee was that the Cabinet Office had contacted the Monitoring Officer to request feedback on the progress from the Council against the recommendations made in the paper.  The Monitoring Officer reminded the Committee that this report and the list has been considered previously at the Standards Committee meetings on 21st March and 4th July 2019.

 

The Monitoring Officer took the meeting through the list by highlighting the current Council’s position in terms of all 15 best practice recommendations.  These were: 

 

  • Best practice 1 – these were agreed on 4th July 2019 and recommended to the Council;
  • Best practice 2 – provisions were in the Code of Conduct requiring Councillors to comply with any formal Standards investigation.
  • Best practice 3 – this was in the workplan for Standards Committee, and it was last reviewed on 4th July 2019.
  • Best practice 4 - the Code of Conduct is now on Council’s website and in Council’s premises. The Monitoring Officer confirmed that she was yet to re-do the Parish Council Audit (as some of Parish Councils did not have their Code of Conduct on their websites).
  • Bets practice 5 – gifts and hospitality were in accessible formats.  The register is on the Council website and councillors reminded to update annually.
  • Best practice 6 – these arrangements were already in the Code of Conduct.
  • Best practice 7 – the Council has already had one independent person, and access to another independent person from neighbouring authorities.
  • Best practice 8 – these practices were already in the Arrangements for dealing with Complaints.
  • Best practice 9 – these were already published and available on Council’s website.
  • Best practice 10 – these were already in place, and recently improved by adding an online form for the submission of complaint.
  • Best practice 11 – all Parish Councils have been reminded of this practice.
  • Best practice 12 – all Parish Clerks were aware that they could get in touch with the Monitoring Officer for help, as well as with ALCA.
  • Best practice 13 – the Council has agreed with neighbouring authorities to undertake investigations in case of a conflict of interest by the Monitoring Officer.
  • Best practice 14 – the Council has two separate Council owned companies which were governed by the separate Governance Protocol including the Code of Conduct.
  • Best practice 15 – the Monitoring Officer informed the Committee that she has regularly attended Group Leaders meeting and raised standards issue in May and June 2020.

 

The Chair thanked Monitoring Officer for taking the meeting through this paper and added that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Appendix 1 Local Government Ethical Standards best practice for Local Authorities pdf icon PDF 33 KB

5.

ITEMS FROM THE PUBLIC - TO RECEIVE DEPUTATIONS, STATEMENTS, PETITIONS OR QUESTIONS (COMPLAINTS MUST GO THROUGH THE STANDARDS COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE)

Minutes:

There were none.

6.

ITEMS FROM COUNCILLORS AND CO-OPTED AND ADDED MEMBERS RELATING TO THE GENERAL BUSINESS OF THE COMMITTEE

Minutes:

There were none.

7.

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF 19TH SEPTEMBER 2019 pdf icon PDF 73 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 19th September 2019 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair, subject to the following amendment:

 

Page 3, Minute 23, an additional paragraph should read:

 

‘Training Session – Code of Conduct: the scenarios on best practice in using social media had been circulated to members to consider.  The meeting discussed the answers to the scenarios and the issues raised.’

8.

Report on the Consultation on the Model Code of Conduct pdf icon PDF 109 KB

The Committee is asked to consider Annex 1 and 2 (The draft Member Code of Conduct and consultation) and provide a response to the consultation.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair invited the Monitoring Officer to introduce the report.

 

The Monitoring Officer introduced the report by explaining that the Local Government Association (LGA) has provided this Model Code of Conduct for consultation as part of its work on supporting the sector to continue to aspire to high standards of leadership and performance. 

 

The document covered the following issues:

 

  • Purpose:
  • Application of the Code;
  • Model member conduct;
  • Specific obligations of general conduct;
  • Civility
  • Bullying and harassment;
  • Impartiality of officers of the council;
  • Confidentiality and access to information;
  • Disrepute;
  • Your position;
  • Use of council resources and facilities;
  • Interests;
  • Gifts and hospitality;
  • Breaches of the Code of Conduct;
  • Example LGA guidance and recommendations

 

The consultation on the draft would run for 10 weeks until Monday, 17 August 2020.  Currently all Councils were required to have a Member Code of Conduct, however there was no model Code.

 

The Monitoring Officer gave a brief overview of the Code pointing out areas that might be of interest to the Committee and requesting comments on the Code of Conduct consultation questions (as per appendix 2? to the report).  It was agreed that Committee members should provide their comments and responses to questions on the form directly to the Monitoring Officer after the webinar on the LGA draft Model Member Code of Conduct arranged for Wednesday, 29 July 2020.

 

It was RESOLVED that the Standards Committee considered and noted the LGA draft Model Member Code of Conduct. 

 

It was also RESOLVED that all Standards Committee Members would send their comments to Monitoring Officer (on the Code of Conduct consultation questions) after the consultation webinar on the LGA draft Model Member Code of Conduct (29th July 2020) and no later than 10th August 2020.  The Monitoring Officer would then draft a response on behalf of the Council and send it to the LGA before the consultation close date (17th August 2020).

 

 

9.

Report on Assessment of Complaints pdf icon PDF 106 KB

The Committee is asked to consider Annex 1 (Report on assessment of complaints) and discuss any issues arising.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair invited the Monitoring Officer to take the meeting through the report.

 

The Monitoring Officer highlighted the following updates from the report:

 

  • Complaint 01-20 BPC – due to a conflict of interest, an independent Monitoring Officer has done an assessment of the complaint, and the recommendation was that there should be a mediation.
  • Complaint 02-20 RTC – this complaint has been assessed as requiring investigation, and so is likely to come back to Standards Committee.
  • Complaint 03-20 RTC – a complaint was made to the Local Government Ombudsman, who having looked at the decision notice, has decided he is taking no further action.

 

The Chair thanked Monitoring Officer for an update on current cases and added that planned Standards Committee training in September on hearings would be quite timely for potential hearing of complaint 02-20 RTC.

 

It was RESOLVED to note the Report on Assessment of Complaints.

10.

Workplan for the Standards Committee

The Committee will receive a verbal update from the Monitoring Office in terms of the future workplan.

Minutes:

The Committee noted that the following items were in the future workplan:

 

·  Annual Review of the Code of Conduct – date to be confirmed depending on the review of the Model Code of Conduct (as per agenda item 8)

·  Annual Report of the Standards Committee – for September 2020.