Standards Committee – 16 April 2014
Chairman: Councillor Poole
Venue: Function Room 1, Civic Centre, Scunthorpe
Time: 2 pm
AGENDA
1. Substitutions (if any)
2. Declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests and Personal or Personal and Prejudicial Interests.
3. To take the minutes of the meeting held on 11 December 2013 as a correct record and authorise the chairman to sign.
4. Assessment Panel Proceedings – To receive and where necessary confirm the minutes of the meeting of the panel held on 13 February 2014.
5. Complaints Update – Report of the Director of Policy and Resources enclosed.
6. Training held for Clerks to Town and Parish Councils – Feedback and Discussion – Oral report of the Director of Policy and Resources.
7. Any other items which the Chairman decides are urgent by reason of special circumstances which must be specified.
MINUTES
PRESENT: Councillor Poole (in the chair).
Councillors Clark, Davison, Robinson, O’Sullivan, Swift, and Wells.
The committee met at the Civic Centre, Scunthorpe
70 DECLARATIONS OF DISCLOSABLE PECUNIARY, PERSONAL OR PERSONAL AND PREJUDICIAL INTERESTS – There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests, personal or personal and prejudicial interests.
71 MINUTES – Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting of this committee held on 11 December 2013, having been printed and circulated amongst the members, be taken as read and correctly recorded and be signed by the chairman.
72 ASSESSMENT PANEL PROCEEDINGS – That the minutes of the meetings of the Assessment Panel held on 13 February, 2014 were received.
73 (24) COMPLAINTS UPDATE – The Director of Policy and Resources submitted a report updating the committee on progress made with complaints received.
The Director informed members that since 26 November 2013 no further complaints had been received and processed in accordance with the council’s published arrangements. He also updated them on progress with ‘ongoing’ complaints.
Resolved – (a) That the report be noted, and (b) that a further report (i) identifying difficulties experienced by Investigating Officers which cause delays during investigations and suggesting how action can be taken to improve the cooperation of all parties, and (ii) comparing similar difficulties experienced by neighbouring councils and identifying any successful action they have taken to address them, be submitted to the next meeting of the committee.
74 TRAINING FOR CLERKS TO TOWN AND PARISH COUNCILS – FEEDBACK AND DISCUSSION – The Director of Policy and Resources reported orally summarising observations and issues arising from two further training sessions held for Clerks to Town and Parish Councils in February 2014 on the Council’s Code of Conduct and Standards Arrangements.
Members of the committee who had also attended the training initiated discussions on their observations.
Resolved – (a) That the committee emphasises the importance of all Clerks to Town and Parish Councils attending training on Standards issues when arranged; (b) that a report (i) addressing the feasibility of any specific training for Clerks being arranged jointly with ERNLLCA (East Riding and Northern Lincolnshire Local Councils Association), and (ii) providing information where possible on any correlation between those councils with a significant number of standards complaints and non-attendance at standards training, be submitted to the next meeting of the committee.