Agenda item

As requested by the Committee, Group Leaders from City of York Council have been invited to attend this meeting.  This report suggests possible issues for discussion.

Group Leaders from City of York Council were in attendance for this item.  A report had been circulated which suggested possible issues for discussion.  The report also drew attention to the fourteenth report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. 

Group Leaders were invited to identify any issues relating to monitoring standards of conduct and the committee’s arrangements for dealing with complaints that they would wish the committee to address.

Councillor Alexander stated that there were longstanding problems in respect of the political culture within the council.  Although attempts had been made to address this issue, the culture remained and the new Members of all parties had settled into the same culture.  This had resulted in complaints being lodged that were largely political, which caused unpleasantness and which wasted resources.  He suggested that the Committee made recommendations as to how this culture could be changed, for example considering whether it would be useful to bring in an external consultant to support this process.  The Monitoring Officer and the Joint Standards Committee also needed to be robust when dealing with vexatious attacks.  

Councillor Gillies stated that there were differences in the way some people viewed political attacks.  Nevertheless he would not wish to see personal attacks being made outside of the political arena.  He expressed concern that the powers of the Standards Committee had been reduced.  He stated that it was important that the committee did not waste time on insignificant issues although he acknowledged that there were differing perceptions as to what people would designate as a frivolous.  Nevertheless it was also important that people had the opportunity to make a complaint if they believed this to be necessary.

Councillor D’Agorne stated that he agreed that there had been some instances in the past when the procedures that had been followed were not appropriate in view of the nature of the complaint.  Most complaints seemed to have been political in nature.  Councillor D’Agorne stated that he regretted some of the changes that had been made to the standards regime.  It was important to avoid bureaucratic procedures when there were very few sanctions available to the committee.  The Monitoring Officer had a useful role to play and carried out this role well.  It was important to make the best of the situation and to promote good practice, for example through the use of model procedures.

The Monitoring Officer stated that although he had some concerns about the new standards arrangements, he did welcome the way in which complaints were now assessed.  The process now allowed for early and robust decision making.  He asked the Group Leaders about the role they would play in the new arrangements. Councillor Gillies suggested that Group Leaders could play a role in mediating or arbitrating on issues to see if they could be resolved at an early stage rather than escalating to a formal complaint.

The Independent Person asked about the arrangements that were in place in respect of Group Leaders’ meetings.  Councillor Alexander stated that the Group Leaders met in advance of full council meetings but explained that some Group Leaders had to consult with their Group prior to any decisions being taken and this sometimes caused difficulties. 

The Independent Person drew attention to the work of the Committee on Standards in Public Life.  He stated that the new arrangements in respect of the standards regime would be kept under review and drew attention to the need to promote high standards of ethical behaviour.  He stated that this went beyond ensuring that Members complied with a code of conduct.  He questioned how Members were fulfilling their responsibilities in this area, for example ensuring that contracts that were delivered by third parties were delivered in an ethical way.  Members agreed that it was important that ethical considerations were given full consideration, for example during the procurement process, and they agreed that that they would wish to give further consideration to this matter at a future meeting.¹   Referring to a suggestion that a separate item on ethical implications  be included on the agenda for Cabinet meetings, Councillor Alexander stated that good ethics were embedded in all the decision-making that was taking place and hence he did not believe this to be necessary.

Parish Council representatives suggested that the review of the new arrangements had focused on City of York Councillors and that there was also a need to look at the situation in respect of parish councils.  A number of complaints that had previously arisen had been in respect of parish councillors.  It was noted that Yorkshire Local Councils Association had circulated guidance to assist parish councils.  It was agreed that representatives of Parish Council Chairs should be invited to attend the next meeting.²

Referring to comments made by a member of the committee that political attacks should be restricted to meetings and should not continue in the form of letters to the media or comments on Twitter, Councillor Alexander explained that it was often difficult to prevent Members from using the media in this way as it was sometimes necessary to respond to an attack that had been made by another Group.  Referring to suggestions that there was a need to better publicise the positive work that was carried out by the Joint Standards Committee in promoting high standards of conduct, Group Leaders commented that, although they supported this recommendation, the media culture was such that it tended to focus on more negative aspects.

Concerns were expressed regarding the limited sanctions that were open to the committee in the event of a breach of the code.  The Monitoring Officer recognised this as a potential problem but stated that the committee had never yet had to handle a complaint that could not have been dealt with under the sanctions that were currently available. 

The Group Leaders were thanked for their attendance at the meeting.

The Chair requested that if, arising from the discussions, Members identified further items for inclusion on the committee’s work plan these be notified to the Monitoring Officer.

RESOLVED:       That the report, and the issues identified during the discussion be noted.

REASON:            To promote high standards of ethical conduct.