Issue - meetings

The report of the Monitoring Report/Borough Solicitor outlines alternative procedures for the determination of future complaints following the abolition of the current Standards regime, which the Committee is invited to debate.  

In setting the context for her presentation, the Monitoring Officer explained that the report sought to stimulate debate as to how the Council should move forward following the abolition of current standards practices.  Members also noted that during passage of the Localism Bill through Parliament, the House of Lords had proposed a number of amendments which could eventually result in the retention of a mandatory Code of Conduct.         

The Monitoring Officer first reminded Members of the procedures which were currently in place for determining complaints made under the Code of Conduct before moving on to describe a more streamline approach which presupposed the adoption of a voluntary Code of Conduct.  Whilst the revised framework was not ‘set in stone’, it was important that any future Code or investigation process was robust, had the support of elected Members and gave confidence to Complainants and members of the public. 

Members’ initial thoughts about the proposal reflected the range of views expressed earlier in the meeting.  To give free rein to the debate, the Chairman proposed that a meeting of the Standards Committee Issues and Ideas Working Group should be convened to enable Members to have a full and frank discussion about Standards issues.  Given the shifting position in respect of the Localism Bill, it was suggested that the meeting should be held in October, following the Third Reading of the Bill. 

RESOLVED: That a meeting of the Standards Committee Issues and Ideas Working Group be held on Tuesday 25^th October at 10.00am, venue to be confirmed.