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    • Agenda and minutes

    Standards Committee - Wednesday, 13th October, 2021 2.00 pm

    • Attendance details
    • Agenda frontsheet PDF 234 KB
    • Agenda reports pack
    • Supplementary pack - minutes and Item C PDF 804 KB
    • Printed minutes PDF 288 KB

    Venue: By Teams. View directions

    Contact: Carol Johnson  01597 826206

    Media

    Items
    No. Item

    1.

    Apologies

    To receive apologies for absence.

    Minutes:

    Apologies for absence were received from Mrs C Mulholland (Independent Member) and County Councillor K S Silk.

     

    2.

    Appointment of Vice Chair

    To appoint a Lay Member as Vice Chair for the term of their office.

    Minutes:

    RESOLVED that Independent Member Chris Mulholland be appointed as Vice Chair for her term of office.

     

     

    3.

    Minutes pdf icon PDF 294 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.

    Minutes:

    The Chair was authorised to sign the minutes of the meeting held on 23 June 2021 as a correct record.

     

     

    4.

    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.

     

    5.

    Report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services pdf icon PDF 214 KB

    To receive the report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services.

    Additional documents:

    • Item C - Dispensation , item 5. pdf icon PDF 325 KB

    Minutes:

    The Committee received the report of the Head of Legal and Democratic Services (copy filed with signed minutes).

     

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

    Members

     

    A1.      Code of Conduct Training

    The Committee noted that one Member is still required to complete the Mid-term mandatory Code of Conduct training.  The Committee asked that the training be offered to the Member in a variety of ways to facilitate its completion. 

     

    It was moved and duly seconded that the Committee write to the Member asking them to complete the training by the end of the month, unless they had difficulties in accessing the training. 

     

    RESOLVED

    Reason for decision

    That a letter be sent to the member asking that the mandatory Code of Conduct training be completed by the end of October 2021, unless they had difficulties in accessing the training.

    To ensure mandatory training is completed.

     

    B.        Referral of Councillors to the Public Services Ombudsman

     

    B1.      County Council Referrals

     

    The Deputy Monitoring Officer advised that she had liaised with the Ombudsman and the list of referrals had been updated.  The current position regarding matters with the Ombudsman is detailed below:

     

    02/CC/2020 Ombudsman investigating

     

    01/CC/2021 Ombudsman deciding whether or not to investigate

    02/CC/2021 Ombudsman not investigating

    03/CC/2021 Ombudsman deciding whether or not to investigate

    04/CC/2021 Ombudsman investigating

     

    C.           Dispensations

     

    C1.    Applications- CountyCouncillors

     

    Further to the discussions at the last meeting, officers had drafted a dispensation in respect of wool production, in response to the request from County Councillor Vaughan.

     

    The Committee considered the draft.  The Committee considered that a farming councillor being able to speak in general terms would be of benefit to all sheep farmers, not just the speaker.

     

    It was moved and duly seconded to approve the dispensation.

     

    RESOLVED

    Reason for decision

    i) a dispensation be granted to those Members who are sheep farmers, (including close personal associates

    involved in sheep farming) to speak but not vote on matters relating to Wool Production and having spoken to leave

    the room.

    (ii) the dispensation shall continue in force until the first meeting of the Standards Committee after the next

    ordinary council elections in 2022 unless before those elections the Standards Committee revokes, amends or alters the dispensation.

    i) due to the rural nature of

    the county a significant

    proportion of the Council was

    affected and unable to take part in a discussion on this matter, and Council thereby would lose their expertise

    ii) that no fewer than half of

    the Members of the Authority or of a committee of the Authority by which the business is to be considered has an interest which relates to that business,

    iii) that the nature of the

    Member’s interest is such that

    the Member’s participation in

    the business to which the

    interest relates would not

    damage public confidence in

    the conduct of the relevant

    Authority’s business.

     

    D.           Late Payment of Expenses

     

    There were no requests for late payments of expenses.

     

    E.           Standards Committee – changes to Constitution

     

    The Local Government and Elections  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.