Issue - meetings

To receive any declarations of disclosable interests or dispensations granted by the Standards Committee.

The Chairman and Vice-Chairman declared that they were members of Calne Town Council, defined as an Other Registerable Interest in Wiltshire Council’s Code of Conduct. However, they had been granted dispensations to vote on the town council’s applications by Wiltshire Council’s Standards Dispensation Sub Committee, so would vote on their application.

Cllr Rounds and Cllr Thorn also declared that they were members of Calne Town Council. The Democratic Services Officer noted that Wiltshire Council had resolved, on 16 May, to delegate responsibility for the approval of dispensations for Other Registerable Interests to the Monitoring Officer. The Monitoring Officer was in attendance at the Area Board, so Cllr Rounds and Cllr Thorn requested dispensations to vote on Calne Town Council’s grant application. The requests to vote were approved by the Monitoring Officer.

The Chairman, Cllr Thorn and Cllr O’Neill all declared interests in relation to the Friends of the Marden Valley grant application. Cllr O’Neill clarified that he was making a declaration for the purposes of transparency. Cllr O’Neill and the Chairman only attended their meetings, so it was not an Other Registerable Interest as defined in Wiltshire Council’s Code of Conduct. The Monitoring Officer confirmed that the Chairman and Cllr O’Neill would be able to participate and vote on the Friends of Marden Valley application.

Cllr Thorn declared an Other Registerable Interest, as he chaired the meetings of Friends of Marden Valley. It was clarified that Cllr Thorn would be able to participate in the debate, as the public would be able to speak, but would have to leave the meeting for the vote on their application.