Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room A - County Hall, Llandrindod Wells, Powys. View directions

Contact: Elizabeth Patterson  01597 826980

Items
No. Item

S21-2016

Apologies

To receive apologies for absence.

Minutes:

No apologies for absence were received.

S22-2016

Minutes pdf icon PDF 69 KB

To authorise the Chair to sign the minutes of the previous meeting(s) of the Committee held on the following dates(s) as a correct record:

24th February 2016

Minutes:

The Chair was authorised to sign the minutes of the meeting held on 24th February 2016 subject to the following amendments:

 

PRESENT

Independent Member H Rhydderch-Roberts (Chair)

Independent Members: J Evans, S Hays, C Jackson, S Jarman

County Councillors M Mackenzie, P Medlicott and K Roberts-Jones

 

County Councillor referrals

01/16/CC       Not investigating

 

End of document

Independent Member H Rhydderch-Roberts (Chair)

 

S23-2016

Declarations of interest

To receive any declarations of interest from Members relating to items to be considered on the agenda.

Minutes:

A declaration of interest was received from Independent Member C Jackson with regard to item E1 Member Attendance.  Ms Jackson is a friend of Cllr G Ratcliffe and took no part in the debate regarding his attendance.

 

S24-2016

Report of the Solicitor to the Council pdf icon PDF 3 MB

To receive the report of the Solicitor to the Council.

Minutes:

The Committee received the report of the Solicitor to the Council. (Copy filed with signed minutes).

 

A.           General Standards Issues for County Councillors and Co-opted Members

 

A1       Code of Conduct Training

 

            It was still the case that four Members had not undertaken the refresher training despite being offered the opportunity to undertake the training by written response.  The Committee expressed concern regarding the lack of response and suggested that the Chair write to those Members requesting an explanation as to why they have failed to undertake the training.  If no response was received the Member/s be invited to attend the next meeting of the Standards Committee.

 

Resolved that the Chair of Standards Committee write to the four Members yet to complete refresher training on the Code of Conduct asking for an explanation as to why they have yet to complete the training.  This response to be considered at the next meeting of the Standards Committee.  If no response is received the Member/s be invited to attend the next meeting of the Standards Committee.

 

A2       Local Government Ethical Framework – Amended Code of Conduct

 

It was confirmed that the County Council had adopted the revised Code of Conduct on 20th April 2016 and a notice had been published in the press to this effect.

 

The revised regulations relating to Standards Committees allow for Joint Standards Committees to be formed but no other authority had approached the Standards Committee of Powys in this regard.  The Powys Standards Committee could, if they wished, approach another Standards Committee to discuss forming a permanent Joint Standards Committee.  There was no intention to make such an approach at this stage.

 

The Chair advised that she had been invited, along with the Vice-Chair, to an informal meeting of other Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Standards Committees in mid and west Wales.  It was proving difficult to find a date for this meeting and at present this was expected to take place in October 2016.

 

B         Referral of Councillors to Public Services Ombudsman

 

B1       County Council referrals

 

6/15/CC         Referred to the Standards Committee

8/15/CC         Ombudsman investigating

9/15/CC         Ombudsman investigating

01/16/CC       Not investigating

02/16/CC       Not investigating

03/16/CC       Not investigating

04/16/CC       Ombudsman investigating

05/16/CC       Not investigating

06/CC/CC      Not investigating

07/16/CC       Ombudsman investigating

08/16/CC       Not investigating

 

C         Other Standards issues

 

            None.

 

D         Dispensations

 

D1       Applications – County Councillors

 

An application for dispensation had been received from County Councillor Arwel Jones to speak and vote on matters relating to Llanfyllin High School.  Councillor Jones holds the Portfolio for Education and is undertaking a review of secondary schools in Powys.  He would be responsible for making recommendations to Cabinet and Council on the review of secondary schools. 

 

Councillor Jones advised the meeting that he has two first cousins on the teaching staff at Llanfyllin High school.  He confirmed that they lived in the same community as him and he would see them at family gatherings perhaps about every six weeks. 

 

With regard to presentation of reports it was confirmed that in Powys reports  ...  view the full minutes text for item S24-2016