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City of York Council |
Minutes |
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Meeting |
Joint Standards Committee |
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Date |
1 December 2025 |
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Present |
Councillors Fisher, Pavlovic, Runciman (Chair), Kent, Steward (CYC Members) Councillors Waudby (Vice-Chair), Chambers and Geogheghan-Breen (Parish Council Members) |
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Apologies
Officers Present |
Ms R Mazza (Independent Person)
Julie Gallagher, Head of Democratic Services Chris Coss, Head of Legal Services |
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17. Apologies for Absence (4.02 pm)
Apologies were received and noted for Rose Mazza, Independent Person.
18. Declarations of Interest (4.02 pm)
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. None were declared.
19. Exclusion of Press and Public (4.02 pm)
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 9 (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.
20. Minutes (4.02 pm)
Resolved: That the minutes of the meeting of the Joint Standards Committee held on 16 September 2025 be approved as a correct record.
21. Public Participation (4.03 pm)
It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.
22. Appendix 29 - Joint Standards Committee Procedures (4.03 pm)
The Head of Legal Services introduced his report on the review of handling arrangements for Code of Conduct breach allegations. He noted the requirements for investigations to be fair, objective, impartial and quick. He emphasised that only the Joint Standards Committee (JSC) could find a breach and apply sanctions and highlighted that the revised process removed the need for sub-committees. The matter of quoracy, which presently stands at four, was raised, noting that an uneven quorum should be considered for this type of decision-making committee.
In relation to the draft appendix 29, members noted that Haxby has a town council.
Members discussed the process of managing witnesses at hearings and, following debate, were largely in support of the process outlined in the draft appendix. In relation to the matter of quoracy, members leaned towards a quoracy of five, which, they felt, would provide a more balanced opinion. Members were also in agreement that if a Councillor received a formal reprimand, a record of this should be available on the council website.
Officers clarified that the formal reprimand for a Parish Councillor needed to be issued through, rather than by, the Parish Clerk. They also confirmed that there was no legal power to enforce sanctions, however, an informal sanction could be reviewed and progressed further to a formal sanction, should no action by the subject member have taken place.
Resolved: That members take some time to consider the draft appendix and submit their comments ahead of the Christmas period.
Reason: To allow a revised draft of appendix 29 to be brought to the committee at the following meeting of the committee in January.
23. Review of Work Plan (4.55 pm)
Members considered the committee’s work plan for the current municipal year.
Resolved: That the work plan be approved
subject to the following additions:
· Update to Appendix 29
Reason: To ensure that the committee has a planned programme of work in place.
24. Monitoring Report on Complaints Received (4.57 pm)
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.
Cllr C Runciman, Chair
The meeting started at 4.01 pm and finished at 5.11 pm.