Agenda and draft minutes

At this point in the meeting, Members and co-opted members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary interest, or other registerable interest, they might have in respect of business on this agenda, if they have not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.

An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

[Please see the attached sheet for further guidance for Members.]

Members were asked to declare any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests, or any prejudicial interests or disclosable pecuniary interests which they might have in respect of business on the agenda. 

Cllr Fisher noted that he was named as a party in the complaints received log.

To consider the exclusion of the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the following:

Annex A (ii) and Annex B (ii) to Agenda Item 11 on the grounds that it contains information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual.  This information is classed as exempt under paragraph 2 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as revised by The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006).

Resolved:   That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the exempt versions of Annexes A and B to Agenda Item 11 (Monitoring Report in Respect of Complaints Received), on the grounds that they contain information likely to reveal the identity of individuals, which is classed as exempt under Paragraph 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting of the Joint Standards Committee held on 08 April 2024.

Resolved:   That the minutes of the meeting of the Joint Standards Committee held on 08 April 2024 be approved and signed as a correct record.

To approve and sign the minutes of the following meetings of the Joint Standards Sub-Committees:

·       Hearings Sub-Committee,18 April 2024, 1:30pm

·       Hearings Sub-Committee,18 April 2024, 2:45pm

Resolved:   That the minutes of the following sub-committee meetings be approved and signed as a correct record:

·       Hearings Sub-Committee, 18 April 2024, 1:30pm

·       Hearings Sub-Committee, 18 April 2024, 2:45pm

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered to speak can do so. Members of the public may speak on agenda items or on matters within the remit of the committee.

Please note that our registration deadlines are set as 2 working days before the meeting, in order to facilitate the management of public participation at our meetings.  The deadline for registering at this meeting is 5:00pm on Friday, 10 May 2024.    

To register to speak please visit www.york.gov.uk/AttendCouncilMeetings to fill in an online registration form.  If you have any questions about the registration form or the meeting, please contact Democratic Services.  Contact details can be found at the foot of this agenda.

Webcasting of Public Meetings

Please note that, subject to available resources, this meeting will be webcast including any registered public speakers who have given their permission. The meeting can be viewed live and on demand at www.york.gov.uk/webcasts.

During coronavirus, we made some changes to how we ran council meetings, including facilitating remote participation by public speakers. See our updates (www.york.gov.uk/COVIDDemocracy) for more information on meetings and decisions.

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

This report summarises the support available to CYC staff who are considering or who make a complaint against councillors as a result of alleged breaches of the Member Code of Conduct under the Joint Standards Committee Procedures.

The Head of HR introduced her report and outlined the support available to officers who make, or wish to make, a complaint against councillors. 

Members were in agreement that the support of a trade union representative would be beneficial to officers in these circumstances. Officers reported that the protocols were embedded within the organisation as there was a culture of being able to raise concerns;  Managers were aware of the appropriate processes to follow once a concern had been raised.

Resolved:  

                                                        i.          That the report be noted.

                                                       ii.          A review of current procedures should be escalated to either Audit and Governance or the Constitution Working Group to consider:

a.    Enabling and making explicit that complainants who are members of staff be given a right to be accompanied by a fellow employee or TU representative in any investigatory meeting and/or formal hearing in line with other employment practices.

b.    How best to support a complainant who is an officer during and after any Standards investigation and/or Hearing.

c.    That the Trade Union representative to be briefed on the Standards Hearing Procedures before attending a hearing.

Reason:                To ensure that procedures are fully embedded in the council’s constitution.

This report provides an update to the Committee on the Member Induction programme.

The Assistant Director of Policy and Strategy provided an overview of her report on the Member Induction programme and noted that Veritau were auditing Member engagement for Induction and would be reporting in July.

Members discussed with Officers their own experiences of the programme and highlighted difficulties in accessing the systems used. Members emphasised the benefits of peer to peer learning, welcomed the recording of the sessions which provided flexibility for Members and discussed the possibility of extending the training, especially standards training to Parish Councillors.

It was reported that officers were working towards using one platform for all training which should improve accessibility and they would look to build in more Member-led training sessions in future. YLCA (Yorkshire Local Councils Association) training was highlighted as being readily available to Parishes.

It was also noted that the political breakdown of the attendance figures was not especially relevant, as the political parties varied both in size and balance of new / returning members.

Resolved:                       That the report be noted, and the feedback, outlined above be considered for future member development programmes.

Reason:                          To ensure that the high standards of conduct expected of Members be communicated through the induction programme.

This report updates members on the review of the Case Handling Procedure for complaints under the Member Code of Conduct.

The Deputy Monitoring Officer introduced her report on the Case Handling Procedure for complaints, noting that this had been brought to the Committee in November.  She emphasised that her recommendations must be balanced against the efficient use of resources.

Members welcomed the report and expressed their desire to have the recommendations brought to the constitutional working group in the near future.

Resolved:            

                                                                  i.          That the update be noted.

                                                                 ii.          Officers to take a report on the Case Handling Procedure to the Constitutional Working Group as soon as possible.

Reason:                          To ensure that the changes are actioned promptly.

To consider the Committee’s work plan for the current year and decide whether any amendments or additions are required.

Members considered the committee’s work  plan for the current municipal year.

Resolved:   That the work plan be approved subject to the following additions:

·       A verbal update on the progress of the Case Handling Procedure to be brought to July’s meeting.

Reason:      To ensure that the committee has a planned programme of work in place.

To receive a routine update report on recent standards complaints.

Members considered a report which provided an update on current business as regards complaints.

Resolved:  That the report be noted.

Reason:     To ensure that the committee is aware of current levels of activity.