Agenda and minutes

Members are requested at the start of the meeting to declare any known interests in any matter to be considered, and are reminded that any such interest should also be declared at the start of an item or during any discussion of the matter concerned.

The Chair reminded members of the need to declare known interests in any matters to be considered at the meeting. No declaration were made.

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 12^th October 2020.

Resolved – That the Minutes of the meeting held on 12^th October 2020 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Please refer to the explanatory notes below.

During Covid-19, questions must be submitted by 3.00pm two working days before the meeting.

There were no public questions.

Certain items are expected to include the consideration of exempt information and the Standards Committee is, therefore, recommended to resolve "That, in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded during the discussion of the matters referred to in the items listed below, on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information, as defined in the respective paragraph of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information".

Resolved - That, in accordance with Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded during the discussion of the matters referred to in Agenda Item 8 (Minute 24) on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor David Renard, and the Chief Executive, Ms Susie Kemp, addressed the Committee.

The Leader referred to the report within the agenda pack and that there had been no standards issues in the previous year. The Chief Executive referred to the unprecedented response to the Covid-19 pandemic throughout the last year, and expressed her pride at how officers had pulled together and the help and support received from members when difficult decisions had to be taken. The Chief Executive stated that she believes this has set our council as an exemplar of how to react in a major incident, and thanked members for that support.

The Leader and Chief Executive then responded to a number of comments made by members as follows:

·         That the Council has been very supportive to residents by helping them to be aware of, and keep in line with, any Covid-19 restrictions.

·         That any landline numbers in the internal directory for officers could be changed to mobile numbers, but only where a Council-owned mobile has been provided and where diverting procedures are not in place. The Committee noted that Microsoft Teams can also be used to place calls to officers, but that a balance has to be struck as officers need time for matters other than responding to member queries.

·         How frontline services been maintained, particularly waste collection.

·         The motivational communication to residents on Covid-19 which has worked well. 

·         The sad news that Captain Sir Thomas Moore had passed away.

·         Whether it would be possible for the Council to record the history of this time, to create a booklet of personal experiences and how the Council helped them.

·         The large number of members who have been able to join monthly briefings via Microsoft Teams, plus the other opportunities this tool provides to enable member engagement and to help both officers and members maintain a better work life balance.

·         The legislation on holding virtual meetings which ends on 7^th May 2021. The Committee noted that the Local Government Association is lobbying to ensure that Councils can choose to hold either virtual, physical or hybrid meetings after this point but that, at the moment, all members will be obliged to return to the Civic Office for meetings after the election. Council will have to consider health and safety implications and take a view dependent on what happens with the legislation.

·         How it is hoped that the excellent work on communication and liaising with the Parish and Town Councils will continue post-Covid-19.

·         The work being undertaken to look at improving members’ induction, increasing the engagement of existing members with learning opportunities, and assisting both members and officers to understand each other’s roles.

Resolved - That the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive be thanked for attending the meeting and for their full and open responses to members questions on matters relating to the Council’s ethical governance framework and issues of probity.

The Committee considered a report from the Chief Legal Officer, which provided an update on the following matters relating to the Ethical Framework and issues of probity in the Council.

Consideration of any recommended updates to Codes and Protocols

In accordance with the previously utilised review process, the Committee noted that the Monitoring Officer had consulted on each of the Codes and Protocols with relevant officers, the political groups on the Council and the Parish and Town Councils, with responses having been set out in the relevant sections of the report. The Committee was advised that copies of the Codes and Protocols listed below are contained within the Council’s Constitution, and can be inspected on the Council’s website as Appendix 1 to the report.

The Committee was invited to consider, in turn, each of the Council’s Codes and Protocols to determine whether changes were required to ensure they remain effective and fit for purpose, taking into account any matters as set out in the report.

Members’ Code of Conduct

The Monitoring Officer confirmed that since agenda publication it has been publicised that the Local Government Association (LGA) is intending to review / revise its Model Code of Conduct, and has commissioned an accompanying guidance. Given this information, the Monitoring Officer advised that it was no longer recommended for this Committee to devote its next meeting to reviewing the Code and that the Committee was instead recommended to postpone its review until such time as an update had been provided by the LGA. 

The Committee noted that Councillor Brian Ford and Haydon Wick Parish Council had both submitted representations regarding the Code of Conduct, which would be considered by Committee at the time of its review. No changes were therefore proposed.  

Officers’ Code of Conduct

The Committee considered the comments submitted by Councillor Brian Ford as set out in the report. The Monitoring Officer also advised that this Code is being reviewed separately with respect to gifts and hospitality, and that any proposed changes would be brought before Committee for consideration at a future point. No changes were therefore proposed.

Monitoring Officer Protocol

The Committee considered the comments submitted by Councillor Brian Ford and Haydon Wick Parish Council as set out in the report, and noted the comments and recommendations from the Monitoring Officer as set out in Appendix 2. It was noted that the term ‘Chair’ was satisfactory as a gender neutral name, and no changes were proposed.  

Councillor Role Definitions

No changes were proposed.

Media Guidelines for Councillors

The Committee was reminded of the concerns expressed at its last meeting regarding the use of two social media accounts by members (one for personal use and one for councillor related activity). It noted that the Local Government Association’s background information on the use of social media for councillors briefly mentions Councillors choosing to have separate accounts for their Councillor / private presence (Section 3 ‘Responsibilities of Councillors on social media’). The concerns raised at the previous meeting stemmed from the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

The Committee considered a report of the Chief Legal Officer regarding the outcome of various ethical compliance matters, including the details of any Whistleblowing cases, breaches of the Member / Officer Protocol, and Code of Conduct complaints received since the last Committee.

Resolved – That the Ethical Compliance report be noted.