Agenda and minutes

To appoint a member to chair the meeting.

Resolved: That Councillor Pavlovic be elected as Chair of the meeting.

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 attached sheet for further guidance for Members].

Members were asked to declare at this point in the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interests or other registerable interests they might have in respect of business on the agenda, if they had not already done so in advance on the Register of Interests. 

No interests were declared, but for the sake of transparency, Parish Cllr Chambers noted that one of the subjects of one of the assessments was known to him. 

To consider excluding the public and press from the meeting during consideration of the private reports at Agenda Items 4 and 5, on the grounds that they contain information relating to individuals and information likely to reveal the identity of individuals. This information is classed as exempt under Private Document Pack paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006.

Note: the private reports referred to above follow the public report on each item in the agenda papers.

Resolved:  That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the private reports at Agenda Items 4 and 5 (Code of Conduct Complaints received in respect of Parish Councillors), on the grounds that they contain information relating to individuals and information likely to reveal the identity of individuals, which is classed as exempt under paragraphs 1 and 2 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006.

[Note: following the above resolution, the Deputy Monitoring Officer confirmed that she had nothing further to add in respect of the public reports in the agenda papers, and the remainder of the meeting took place in private session.]

To consider a complaint of breach of the Code of Conduct received in respect of Parish Councillors and determine next steps.

Members considered a report which set out a Code of Conduct complaint received in respect of nine Parish Councillors.  Details of the complaint were presented in the private report referred to in Minute 5 above.

Members were asked to decide whether to:

A.  rule that the complaint is out of scope, or

B.  rule that the complaint is in scope and choose either to:

                     i)        take no further action

                    ii)        seek to resolve the matter informally, or

                  iii)        refer the matter for investigation.

Having considered all the information provided, and the advice of the Independent Person at the meeting, it was

Resolved: 

     i)        That, in respect of complaint one, option B(ii) be approved, and the matter be resolved informally by way of a written apology to the complainant. The panel also requested the deputy monitoring officer to write to the chair.

    ii)        That, in respect of complaint two, option A be approved.

Reason:     The Sub-Committee considered that, although the matter was capable of being a breach of the Code of Conduct, restitution could be achieved by returning the complainant to the position they would have been in, had the Parish Council acted in accordance with YLCA guidelines.

To consider a complaint of breach of the Code of Conduct received in respect of Parish Councillors and determine next steps.

Members considered a report which set out a Code of Conduct complaint received in respect of nine Parish Councillors.  Details of the complaint were presented in the private report referred to in Minute 5 above.

Members were asked to decide whether to:

A.  rule that the complaint is out of scope, or

B.  rule that the complaint is in scope and choose either to:

                     i)        take no further action

                    ii)        seek to resolve the matter informally, or

                  iii)        refer the matter for investigation.

Having considered all the information provided, and the advice of the Independent Person at the meeting, it was

Resolved: 

     i)        That, in respect of complaint one, option B(ii) be approved, and the matter be resolved informally by way of a written apology to the complainant. The panel also requested the deputy monitoring officer to write to the chair.

    ii)        That, in respect of complaint two, option A be approved.

Reason:     The Sub-Committee considered that, although the matter was capable of being a breach of the Code of Conduct, restitution could be achieved by returning the complainant to the position they would have been in, had the Parish Council acted in accordance with YLCA guidelines.