Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from:

·         Cllr Sam Pearce-Kearney, who was substituted by Cllr Gordon King.

·         Cllr Mike Sankey

·         Cllr Pip Ridout

·         Gordon Ball (non-voting)

·         Jo Cetti (non-voting)

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 20 April 2022 (copy attached).

The minutes of the meeting held on 20 April 2022 were presented for consideration. It was;

Resolved

To approve and sign the minutes as a true and correct record.

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

In relation to item 6 - code of conduct complaints status report, Councillor Davis noted for openness, that he was included as a statistic within the update.

The Chairman thanked Damian Kearney, one of the Independent Persons on the Standards Assessment Sub Committee for his contribution to the process, as he had stood down following a career change and relocation. A recruitment process was underway to fill the post.

The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public.

Statements

If you would like to make a statement at this meeting on any item on this agenda, please register to do so at least 10 minutes prior to the meeting. Up to 3 speakers are permitted to speak for up to 3 minutes each on any agenda item. Please contact the officer named on the front of the agenda for any further clarification.

Questions

To receive any questions from members of the public or members of the Council received in accordance with the constitution.

Those wishing to ask questions are required to give notice of any such questions in writing to the officer named on the front of this agenda no later than 5pm on (4 clear working days, e.g. Wednesday of week before a Wednesday meeting) in order to be guaranteed of a written response. In order to receive a verbal response questions must be submitted no later than 5pm on (2 clear working days, eg Friday of week before a Wednesday meeting). Please contact the officer named on the front of this agenda for further advice. Questions may be asked without notice if the Chairman decides that the matter is urgent.

Details of any questions received will be circulated to Committee members prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website.

There were no questions or statements.

To note the Status Report on the current position on Code of Conduct Complaints

The Committee received the status report, updating on the number and outcome of Code of Conduct complaints received between 12 April and 7 June 2022 and providing a summary of the complaints considered by the Assessment Sub Committee since the last Standards Committee meeting held on 20 April 2022.

There had been 4 Code of Conduct Complaints received by the Monitoring Officer during that period. All were due to be assessed by the Assessment Sub-Committee at its next scheduled meeting on 28 June 2022.

A chart showing Code of Conduct complaints received since 2019 was also included in the report.

A table of current cases had been provided to the Chairman on 11 May

2022 for a dip sample of cases to be undertaken to enable oversight.

The Committee requested an additional statistic be included in future updates, to show the length of time it took to inform the complainant and subject member when a complaint was decided to go to the Assessment Sub Committee.

The Committee agreed to review the current process timescales, as the requirement to resolve a complaint within 5 days was not always practical.

After a discussion, it was,

Resolved:

To note the position on Code of Conduct Complaints.

An update will be provided on a Wiltshire Council campaign to promote positive democracy and councillor conduct across the county. This will include a webinar on 7 July 2022 providing useful hints and tips on promoting standards in public life and running positive local council meetings.

The Committee received an update on the Wiltshire Council campaign to promote positive democracy and councillor conduct across the county.

The campaign would include a webinar on 7 July 2022 providing useful hints and tips on promoting standards in public life and running positive local council meetings.

The initiative would include a Best Practice tool kit, to help demonstrate and encourage positive democracy among all elected members at county and parish level.

The council would also be looking at possible barriers that may be preventing good democracy, and offer guidance on how to hold positive meetings, including support for clerks, with the aim of a reduction in complaints and an increased feeling of support.

It was,

Resolved

To note the update.

At the last meeting, the Standards Committee considered the attached report and resolved to seek comments from the Constitution Focus Group and Group Leaders on the proposed new Code of Conduct.

To receive the feedback and consider the original report.

At the last meeting, the Standards Committee considered a report and resolved to seek comments from the Constitution Focus Group (CFG) and Group Leaders on the proposed new Code of Conduct.

The Committee considered the comments received and discussed the recommendation as set out in the original report.

A summary of the CFG minutes were provided, in addition, one response had been received from Group Leaders.

The CFG had questioned the benefits in changing the code, questioning whether it would lead to behaviour changes given there was no change to legislation to allow sanctions.

The Committee discussed the longer-term effect of adopting a new code, in relation to future elected members, at parish and county level replacing those that retire. It was suggested that to proceed at a slower pace may be more appropriate.

The Chair of the Code of Conduct Working Group agreed that although sanctions were not available, this did not mean the council should cease to move forward with an updated code of conduct. The launch of a new policy with an educational programme would signal change.

The Committee agreed to invite all Group Leaders to attend a Code of Conduct Working Group meeting to provide their views, before making its final decision at the next meeting.

It was,

Resolved

To defer making a decision until the next meeting, to allow for the Code of Conduct Working Group to meet with Group Leaders to seek their input.

The Committee considered the recommendations of the Constitution Focus Group in relation to Part 3B of the Constitution, to adopt changes in respect of the Channel Panel.

The Committee considered the recommendations of the Constitution Focus Group (CFG) in relation to Part 3B of the Constitution, to adopt changes in respect of the Channel Panel.

Over the course of two meetings the CFG considered the proposals in detail and made a series of amendments, as set out in the report.

Subsequently the Director of Public Health, and Officers, had suggested some minor changes, such as to not specify the specific job titles to be listed in the constitution as they were often subject to change.

The Committee noted its support for a Members Briefing paper which was due to be circulated once the proposals were approved.

After a brief discussion, it was,

Resolved,

The Standards Committee recommend Council approve the changes to Part 3B as set out at Appendix 1

There were no urgent items