Issue - meetings

To consider a report recommending to Council:

1.      the adoption of additional terms of reference for the Audit and Governance Committee to enable responsibility for ETHICAL standards and conduct issues to be transferred from the Standards Committee in line with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011; and

2.      an amendment to the Council’s Constitution which would require a Member to withdraw from a meeting having declared a pecuniary interest.   

The Committee considered the proposed adoption of additional terms of reference for the Audit and Governance Committee to enable responsibility for ethical standards and conduct issues to be transferred from the Standards Committee in line with the requirements of the Localism Act 2011. The proposed terms of reference were set out in the Appendix to the report and included the establishment of three ad hoc panels and sub-committees to consider, at different stages, alleged breaches in the Member Code of Conduct. The membership of the bodies would be drawn from a pool of 15 members comprising the members of the Audit and Governance Committee and five others.

The Borough Solicitor advised that a revised Member Code of Practice, together with proposed assessment criteria and procedure rules for the new bodies, would be submitted to Council for approval alongside the proposed terms of reference.

The Committee was also asked to consider a proposed amendment to the Council’s Constitution which would require a Member to withdraw from a meeting after declaring a disclosable pecuniary interest.   

RESOLVED

That

(1)   the terms of reference set out in the Appendix to the report be recommended for formal adoption by full Council on 19^th July 2012, the sub-committee and panels to operate under the procedures approved and adopted by Council;

(2)   the proposed pool of 15 Members be constituted on the basis of political proportionality and the political groups be invited to submit nominations to the five additional places as appropriate; and  

(3)   Council be recommended to agree that the Council Procedure Rules be amended to require a Member who declares a disclosable pecuniary interest in an item of business to withdraw from the meeting at the appropriate juncture, the Borough Solicitor being authorised to make such changes to the Constitution as she considers appropriate to give effect to the wishes of Council.