Agenda item

The Committee will consider a report which will provide it with the current procedures in place, which will need to be reviewed in light of the new Model Code of Conduct.

The Committee considered a report which provided it with the current procedures in place, which needed to be reviewed in light of the new Model Code of Conduct. The Director of Governance & Monitoring Officer and the Head of Democratic Governance & Deputy Monitoring Officer were in attendance to present the report and respond to questions.

Key points raised during the presentation of the report included:

·        Officers advised the committee to approve the commencement of a review of the procedures in light of the new Model Code of Conduct.

·        HoeyAinscough, who were the national advisers on the Model Code of Conduct and authors of the procedures which support it, were supporting the Council with advice on the adoption of the new code.

·        The report presented to the committee contained the procedures in place at the time of the meeting, which were up for review.

Key points raised by members of the committee included:

·        The Chair stated that it was important to have the input of Hoey Ainscough to ensure that the procedures adopted were fit for purpose and stood up to public scrutiny.

·        The Model Code of Conduct was to be presented to Full Council at their October 2021 meeting.

·        It was suggested to a schedule an additional meeting of the Joint Standards Committee to consider the proposed amended procedures before completing the process and approving them in the January 2021 meeting. The Committee agreed to schedule this meeting for 16:00 on 23 November 2021 before they are brought before Full Council on 16 December 2021.

·        Members emphasised the need to make the new procedures accessible to the general public and easily understandable.

·        It was agreed that draft versions of any proposed procedures would be circulated to the Chair and Vice-Chair for input from the committee on an ongoing basis prior to the next meeting of the Joint Standards Committee.

·        There was no provision for a transition arrangement regarding the new procedures. Should Full Council decide to approve the new procedures on 16 December 2021, complaints received before that date would be processed under the old procedures, with only post 16 December complaints processed under the new procedures.

·        It was suggested that the committee could choose to not formally acknowledge receipt of any complaints until the new procedures were put in place, however it was agreed by the Committee that it was necessary to continue to process complaints under the current procedures at least until the next meeting of the Committee on 23 November.

·        It was agreed by the Committee that the Monitoring Officer should consult the Chair or Vice-Chair prior to beginning an investigation into any received complaint, and prior to making the decision to hold a hearing around a complaint.

Resolved:

i.             That a review of the procedures of the Joint Standards Committee be undertaken.

ii.            That the new procedures should include the requirement that the Monitoring Officer should consult with the Chair or Vice-Chair of the Committee prior to beginning any investigation and to prior to deciding to hold a hearing about a complaint.

Reason: To enable the committee to undertake a review of the procedures and ensure they are fit for purpose.