Agenda and minutes

To receive apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from County Councillors S Lewis and K Silk and D Jones (Deputy Monitoring Officer).

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:

·         4^th October 2017

The minutes of the meeting held on the 4^th October 2017 were agreed subject to the following amendment:

Item 3, paragraph 3: ‘case 6/15/CC as she was had not sat on…..’

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

No declarations of interest were received.

To receive the report of the Solicitor to the Council.

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

All County Councillors and Co-opted Members have now been trained on the Code of Conduct. 

A2       Mandatory Training

The County Council agreed mandatory training in July 2015 for the following sessions:

·         Code of Conduct

·         Data Controller

·         Corporate Parenting

·         Adult and Child Protection

·         Treasury Management

This was not implemented as the term of office neared to a close but it is considered appropriate to implement this now the new term has started.  It is intended to take the Mandatory Training Policy back to Council to approve the inclusion of following sessions as mandatory:

·         IT and information security

·         Equalities and Diversity

·         Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Act 2015

In addition Council had agreed a programme of Mandatory Training arising from the outcome of the CIW Review of Children’s Services.

B.        Referral of Councillors to Public Services Ombudsman

B1.      County Councillor Referrals

B1.1    The current position regarding matters with the Ombudsman was as follows: 

02/CC/2017    Ombudsman investigating.

01/CC/2018    Ombudsman investigating.

02/CC/2018    Ombudsman deciding whether or not to investigate

C1       Applications - County Councillors

            No applications for dispensation have been received from County Councillors.

D         Ombudsman’s Casebook

The Ombudsman had published the Code of Conduct Casebook for the following period:

·         July – September 2017

A copy of this Casebook was attached at Appendix A.

E         Annual Report from Adjudication Panel for Wales

The Adjudication Panel for Wales (APW) had published its Combined Annual Report for 2014/15 and 2015/16 which can be accessed from the Adjudication Panel for Wales website.

F          Adjudication Panel for Wales decision report

In October 2017 the Adjudication Panel for Wales published a decision report in respect of Alison Halford former Councillor for Flintshire County Council.  The Adjudication Panel for Wales had received the matter as a referral from the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales and, having dealt with the matter at a Case Tribunal on 6^th October 2017.  The outcome of the Tribunal was to disqualify Ms Halford from being or becoming a Member of a relevant authority for a period of 14 months.

A copy of the report was attached at Appendix B.

G         Register of Gifts and Hospitality

The Register of Gifts and Hospitality covering the period May 2016 – November 2017 at Appendix C was noted.

H.        Meeting Dates

            Wednesday 27^th June 2018 - Attendance statistics to be reported

Friday 14^{th  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.}