Issue - meetings

(Monitoring Officer) To consider the attached schedule showing the current position of active cases.

The Monitoring Officer reported to the Committee with regard to the receipt of new allegations concerning the conduct of District, Town or Parish Councillors and progress with regard to the investigation and assessment of such allegations.

The Committee noted that, of the outstanding allegations, the assessment of one case (Case 3/2018) had been completed and was to be issued to the Independent Person for review, and that the remaining cases (Case 4/2018 and 5/2018) were currently at various stages of the assessment process.

The Monitoring Officer reported that it had not been necessary to convene the Standards Complaint Sub-Committee appointed at the last meeting, to consider Case 1/2017, as this matter had been resolved through the identification of appropriate training. The Monitoring Officer indicated however that it was intended that the hearings process for the Sub-Committee would be reviewed by the Standards Committee later in the year.

Members were advised that the Monitoring Officer had identified a trend in the receipt of complaints concerning the conduct of District Councillors, made by officers of the Council and sought the support of the Committee in reducing the incidence of such behaviour. The Monitoring Officer advised that a separate procedure was in place for the submission of complaints concerning the conduct of officers of the Council.

RESOLVED:

(1)       That the outstanding allegations made about the conduct of District, Town or Parish Councillors and the steps taken so far to assess and resolve these issues, be noted;

(2)       That procedures for hearings undertaken by the Standards Complaint Sub-Committee be reviewed by the Standards Committee as soon as possible; and

(3)       That the current procedure for the submission of complaints concerning the conduct of officers of the Council be considered at a future meeting of the Committee.