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 declarations were made.

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 1^st July 2019.

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting held on 1^st July 2019 be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Please refer to the explanatory notes below.

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 public be excluded during the discussion of the matters referred to in the items listed below on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the respective paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

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.

Dispensations

The Committee noted that no dispensations had been requested by Councillors since its last meeting.

Membership of the Standards Committee

Parish Representatives

The Committee noted that the recruitment process for Parish Representatives to the Standards Committee will continue in its current form whereby two representatives are nominated by the Wiltshire Association of Local Councils Swindon Area Committee, and confirmed by Council at its Annual General Meeting. Messrs Mike Compton (Blunsdon) and Richard Hailstone (Haydon Wick) have been reappointed until May 2020.

Summary of Code of Conduct Complaints

The Committee noted the summary of Code of Conduct complaints, set out in the table at paragraph 3.6 of the report.

Independent Remuneration Panel - Membership

The Committee noted that Mr Gus Strang, the Education Sector Representative, submitted his resignation to the Chair of the Independent Remuneration Panel on 20^th June 2019. Mr David Body, previously appointed to the Panel as a Lay Representative, has indicated his willingness to transfer to the position of Education Sector Representative given his current employment at Oxford Brookes University. The Committee is asked to appoint Mr Body to the Panel as the Education Sector Representative for a period of four years, ending in November 2023.

The Committee also noted the work undertaken so far to recruit a replacement Lay Representative.

The Council’s Codes and Protocols

The Committee was invited to consider whether the Council’s various Codes and Protocols remained for fit for purpose. In accordance with the Committee’s previously utilised review process, the Monitoring Officer was asked to consult on each of the Codes and Protocols with relevant officers, the political groups on the Council, and also with the Parish and Town Councils, and report back to the Standards Committee at its meeting on 27^th January 2020.

In considering this item, the following matters were discussed:

·        The process by which both Members and Officers declare accepted gifts that are then logged in a publically available register. The Committee noted that Members and Officers are not expected to declare gifts and hospitality which are offered but declined. It was agreed that the Monitoring Officer would be requested to investigate if other Local Authorities have this requirement, for the Committee to discuss in more detail at its meeting on 27^th January 2020.

·        That the Officer Code of Conduct does not appear to contain explicit references to the limitations on politically restricted posts. It was agreed that the Monitoring Officer would take this matter away for review.

·        That the Media Guidelines for Councillors could be enhanced and include reference to the matter of bullying via social media. It was agreed that the Monitoring Officer would take this matter away for review.

Update to the Council’s Ethical Audit Self-Assessment

The Committee was invited to review the annual Ethical Audit Desktop Analysis, attached at Appendix 2 to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

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, and the outcome of any completed investigations in relation to these.

The process for submitting complaints regarding Parish Clerks was discussed and noted.

Resolved – That the Ethical Compliance report be noted.