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City of York Council |
Committee Minutes |
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Meeting |
Joint Standards Committee - Assessments Sub-Committee |
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Date |
15 December 2021 |
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Present |
Councillors Fisher and Douglas (CYC Members) Councillor Chambers (Parish Council Member) |
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Mr Laverick (Independent Person) |
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Note: In view of the changing circumstances around the Covid-19 pandemic, this meeting was held remotely. Any relevant decisions recorded in these minutes will be formally approved by the Chief Operating Officer, using his emergency delegated powers.
29. Appointment of Chair
Resolved: That Cllr Fisher be appointed as Chair of the meeting.
30. Declarations of Interest
Members were invited to declare at this point in the meeting any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests, or any prejudicial or disclosable pecuniary interests, that they might have in the business on the agenda.
Cllr Fisher declared that his former nephew and former sister in law were both members of Haxby Town Council, the latter recently elected; however, neither of them had been involved in the events under consideration.
31. Exclusion of Press and Public
Resolved: That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the private report at Agenda Item 5 (Code of Conduct Complaint received in respect of City of York Councillors), on the grounds that it contains information relating to individuals, which is classed as exempt under paragraph 1 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006.
32. Code of Conduct Complaint received in respect of a Parish/Town Councillor
Members considered a report which presented the draft report of the Investigating Officer regarding a Code of Conduct complaint made in respect of a Parish/Town Councillor. Full details were provided in an exempt report, to which the draft was attached as an annex.
Members were invited to consider whether to:
1) Rule that the draft report was incomplete and that further investigation was required;
2) Rule that the draft report was complete, accept the finding contained in it, and determine the next steps; or
3) Rule that the draft report was complete but not accept the finding contained in it.
Having considered the information provided, and taking into account the comments of the Independent Person at the meeting, it was
Resolved: That the Chief Operating Officer be recommended to:
(i) Approve Option 2; that the draft report of the Investigating Officer be ruled complete and the finding in it accepted.
(ii) Agree that the case be referred for a hearing.
Reason: The Sub-Committee considers that a hearing is required in this case.
Cllr T Fisher, Chair
[The meeting started at 1.30 pm and finished at 1.53 pm].