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 any known interests in any matters to be considered at the meeting.  No declarations were made.

To receive the minutes of the meeting held on 20^th September 2004.

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting held on 20^th September 2004, be confirmed and signed as a correct record.

(See explanatory note below.  Please phone the Committee Clerk whose name and number appears at the top of this agenda if you need further guidance.)

            No public questions were received during the meeting

            The Committee considered a report of the Director of Law and Corporate Governance dated 10^th November 2004, regarding the publication of ‘The Local Authorities (Code of Conduct) (Local Determination) (Amendment) Regulations 2004’, which came into effect on 4^th November 2004.

            Resolved – (1) That the Committee note the implications of the new regulations for the local determination of misconduct allegations against Councillors;

            (2) That the Monitoring Officer be authorised, in consultation with the Chair, to amend the procedure for Standards Committee hearings as appropriate, having regard to the Guidance issued by the Standards Board for England (attached as Appendix 1 to the Agenda Report); and

            (3) That the Monitoring Officer make representations to the Standards Board for England and the Secretary of State asking for the regulations to be amended to provide the Monitoring Officer with powers to require members, officers and members of the public to provide information and to cooperate during the course of an investigation.

            The Committee considered a report of the Director of Law and Corporate Governance dated 10^th November 2004, informing Members of the process of Ethical Audit and its likely importance in future Corporate Performance Assessments and recommending that a working party be set up to assess the range of activities already being undertaken which could contribute to the audit process and the appropriateness of a formal ethical audit process.

            Resolved – That a Standards Committee Working Group comprising the Director of Law and Corporate Governance, Councillor Wendy Johnson, Mr Keith Carby, and Mr Mike Compton (with other Members of the Standards Committee able to deputise as required) be set up to consider whether an ethical audit of the Council and local parish Councils is appropriate, and if so report back to the Committee with a methodology and programme.

 The Committee considered (a) a report of the Director of Law and Corporate Governance dated 10^th November 2004, providing an update on various matters related to the ethical framework including:

i)               the Minutes and verbal report on the meeting of the Independent Members Forum which had been held on 15^th October 2004;

ii)             the Standards Board Bulletin for October 2004;

iii)           a copy of the Council’s response to the Consultation Paper on  Officers’ Code of Conduct, on which the Standards Committee commented at the last meeting;

iv)            the confirmation that there are no current outstanding complaints to the Standards Board or Whistleblowing complaints to report; and

(b)     a request from a Councillor that his declaration of membership of the Grand Charity of Freemasons be excluded from the version of the public register of interests included on the Council’s website.

Resolved – (1) That the Ethical Framework update be noted; and

(2) That all information contained in Members’ public registers of interests should be published on the Council’s Website, including declarations relating to the membership of the Grand Charity of Freemasons, and that the Monitoring Officer be requested to notify Councillors accordingly.