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Issue - meetings

Review of standards arrangements

 

 

Meeting: 27/11/2024 - Council (Item 9.)

9. Review of standards arrangements pdf icon PDF 70 KB

Purpose:

To consider the Council’s Member Code of Conduct Complaint Handling Arrangements and the Standards Sub-Committee Procedure Rules following a review by officers.

 

Recommendation:

The Audit and Governance Committee on 26 September 2024 agreed to recommend that Council resolves to:

  1. Adopt the revised Member Code of Conduct Complaint Handling Arrangements (Annex A2).
  2. Adopt the revised Standards Sub-Committee Procedure Rules (Annex B2) following a review undertaken by officers and the three Independent Persons.

Additional documents:

Meeting: 26/09/2024 - Audit and Governance Committee (Item 26)

26 Annual Summary of Member Conduct Complaints pdf icon PDF 84 KB

Purpose:

To advise the Committee of the number and status of Code of Conduct complaints received and considered by the Council’s Monitoring Officer in the period from 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024 and to consider the Council’s Complaint Handling Arrangements and the Standards Sub-Committee Procedure Rules following a review by officers.

 

Recommendations:

That the Audit and Governance Committee resolves to:

1.    Note the report;

2.    Recommend to Council the adoption of the revised Complaint Handling Arrangements (Annex A); and

3.    Recommend to Council the adoption of the revised Standards Sub-Committee Procedure Rules (Annex B) following a review undertaken by officers and the three Independent Persons.

 

Invited:

Andrew Brown – Business Manager, Democratic Services

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Andrew Brown, Deputy Monitoring Officer, introduced the report that presented members with the Annual Summary of Member Conduct Complaints.

It was explained that the report covered the last 12 months up until 31 August 2024 and included complaints made against district, town and parish councillors within the district. Most complaints were based on issues around disrespect. As a general rule, complaints were resolved at the lowest appropriate level.

Learnings and conclusions had been taken from the complaints that progressed to the local hearing stage and these had informed the review of the complaint handling arrangements and Standards Sub-Committee procedure rules. The initial assessment criteria had been created which included tests regarding disrespect and bullying. Also, gender-neutral language would be used throughout the documents. It was considered that these and other changes would strengthen the current processes in place. 

It was noted that the criteria including tests were a positive addition. The use of character witnesses was agreed to be important at hearings however it was noted that evidence presented in reports would cover witnesses’ statements and hearsay evidence would need to be considered carefully by the Sub-Committee.

The Chair proposed to:

  1. Note the report;
  2. Recommend to Council the adoption of the revised Complaint Handling Arrangement (Annex A); and
  3. Recommend to Council the adoption of the revised Standards Sub-Committee Procedure Rules (Annex B) following a review undertaken by officers and the three Independent Persons.

This was seconded by Councillor Ruth Smith, was put to the vote and unanimously agreed by the Audit and Governance Committee. 

The Audit and Governance Committee AGREED to:

  1. Note the report;
  2. Recommend to Council the adoption of the revised Complaint Handling Arrangement (Annex A); and
  3. Recommend to Council the adoption of the revised Standards Sub-Committee Procedure Rules (Annex B) following a review undertaken by officers and the three Independent Persons.

 

 

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