Agenda item

The Committee will, in the first instance, consider the Public Interest Test (Appendix 1) as to whether the press and public should be excluded for this item.

The Monitoring Officer introduced the report which detailed a complaint that Councillor X had breached the Code of Conduct.  

The Chair asked the Committee, with reference to Appendix 1 of the report (exclusion of access by the public to Council meetings), whether they wished the complaint to be heard in private session. On a proposal by Councillor Lees, seconded by Parish Councillor Axel Palmer, it was agreed that hearing would be heard in private.  

The Committee further agreed that the hearing process would follow the Local Hearings Procedure.

Following the hearing, the Committee adjourned to make its decision. The Committee then re-convened and the Chair announced the decision in the presence of the complainant and Councillor X.

Decision

The Standards Committee has carefully considered all the information provided by the complainant and Councillor X. The Committee has concluded that, in the interests of fairness, the complaint would benefit from an independent investigation and report into the allegations. It therefore asks the Monitoring Officer to arrange an investigation and report back to the Committee by the end of March 2013.