Agenda and minutes

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

Contact: Elizabeth Patterson  01597 826980

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

To receive apologies for absence.

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Mr C Pinney [Monitoring Officer] and Mr W Richards [Head of Democratic Services]. 

 

2.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 67 KB

To authorise the Chair to sign the minutes of the meeting held on 27 June, 2018 as a correct record.

Minutes:

The Chair was authorised to sign the minutes of the meeting held on 27 June, 2018 as a correct record, subject to the list of attendees being amended to refer to Mrs C Mulholland rather than C Mulholland.  It was requested that the use of titles is consistent in the minutes.

 

3.

Declarations of interest

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

Minutes:

No declarations of interest were received.

4.

Report of the Solicitor to the Council pdf icon PDF 72 KB

To receive the report of the Solicitor to the Council.

Additional documents:

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

 

All Members and Co-opted Members have undertaken Code of Conduct training.

 

 A2      Mandatory Training

 

The Committee noted the responses from the three Councillors who had not completed the Mandatory Treasury Management training, which had been provided on three occasions.  The Committee noted that this mandatory training is not available as eLearning.

 

RESOLVED THAT

Reason for decision

1.    The Chair write to Councillors M Alexander, M Barnes and N Morrison advising that they are required to attend the next Mandatory Treasury Management training scheduled for 10 January, 2019 and that they be advised of the sanctions open to the Committee and 

2.    that if they fail to attend on 10 January 2019, they will be required to attend the Standards Committee on 20 February, 2019, where they will be required to provide a verbal explanation of their non-attendnace at the training and depending on their explanation, sanctions may be considered by the Standards Committee in line with relevant Council Policy.

3.    that a diary invitation to the Mandatory Treasury Management training scheduled for 10 January, 2019 be made in these Councillors’ outlook diaries.

 

To ensure compliance with the Council’s policy regarding Mandatory Training.

 

The Committee noted that even where some Members attend mandatory training sessions they may not always stay for the whole training.  The Committee raised concerns that Members must attend for the whole training and discussed how this could be managed including, requiring Members to enter the time of their arrival at and departure from the training sessions on the attendance and asking trainers to ask those arriving late and leaving early to complete the attendance sheets with this information.  It was noted, that in Committee meetings the committee clerks record when Members arrive and leave if this is during the meeting but no such officers are in attendance at training events.  The Committee acknowledged the numerous commitments of Members, including those that work but noted that only a small number of mandatory sessions were held each year.

 

RESOLVED THAT

Reason for decision

The Chair write to Members to raise the Committee’s concerns that some Members do not attend for the whole of mandatory sessions and that they arrive late and leave early, which is not acceptable.

To remind Members that they must attend the whole mandatory session.

 

B         Referral of Councillors to the Public Services Ombudsman

 

B1       County Council Referrals

 

02/CC/2017   Ombudsman investigating

01/CC/2018   Ombudsman investigating

02/CC/2018   Ombudsman investigating

04/CC/2018   Ombudsman not investigating

05/CC/2018   Ombudsman investigating

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

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

 

C.        Dispensations

 

C1.      Applications - County Councillors

 

            No applications for dispensation have been received from County Councillors.

 

D.        Late Payment of Expenses

 

A claim for payment of expenses was submitted by Councillor Phil Pritchard for mileage expenses (submitted on 16 July, 2018 for

mid-January to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

Standards Conference 2018 - Standards Hearings Workshop - Practical issues pdf icon PDF 39 KB

To consider the “What would you do if…” questions from the workshop facilitated by Powys County Council.

Minutes:

The Committee with the Standards Community Sub-Committee considered the questions used in the Conference Workshop facilitated by the Authority.

 

 

The Deputy Monitoring Officer advised that as the Chair’s Term of Office comes to an end on 13 May, 2019 the process for agreeing the recruitment and appointment of a replacement independent member would be considered by Council at its meeting on 18 October, 2018. 

 

 

The Committee thanked Liz Patterson, Scrutiny Officer for her support to the Committee.