Agenda item - Standards Update

RESOLVED: That the Committee

1 Noted the information provided in the report on member complaints and on standards-related matters. The latter included the approaching end of the tenure of Diane Bushell, who will have served a four year term as one of the Council’s two Independent Persons on 25th March 2019 and whose contribution the Committee was asked to acknowledge.

2. Noted that a recruitment process was currently underway with the aim of recommending to Full Council on 28th March 2019 that it approve the appointment of a new Independent Person to exercise the statutory functions of the role in addition to the ongoing incumbent, Dr David Horne.

3 Would invite an informally constituted cross-party working group of members to review the detailed recommendations of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, with a view to making such recommendations as it considers appropriate to a future meeting of this Committee.

66.1    Victoria Simpson, Senior Lawyer introduced the report as this Committee’s regular standards update consisting of three parts. She asked the Committee to note the information provided about Standards complaints before proceeding to highlight the second part of the report, which dealt with the review of ethical standards in government carried out by the Committee on Standards in Public Life. A report had been generated by the Committee on Standards in Public Life following a consultation process to which a cross party working group of members of this Committee had contributed on behalf of the authority. It was proposed that a further informal group of members be convened to consider the recommendations of that very detailed report.

66.2    The Senior Lawyer also asked the Committee to note that a cross party Panel made up of members of this Committee had selected a preferred candidate for appointment as an Independent Person following a recruitment process. As Ms Diane Bushell’s term as Independent Person was due to expire in the next two weeks, she asked the Committee to thank Ms Bushell for her work and commitment.

66.3    Dr Horne asked whether the recent consultation on updating the disqualification criteria for councillors had resulted in any changes in the rules which might affect candidates seeking to be elected in the forthcoming elections. He thus wondered if there were suitable arrangements in place to monitor this.  The Senior Lawyer replied that she was aware of the consultation outcome, which had resulted in an indication that government was minded to introduce changes to the disqualification criteria. Doing so would involve changes to primary legislation which had not as yet been proposed: a situation was being and would continue to be monitored.

66.4    RESOLVED: That the Committee

            1 Noted the information provided in the report on member complaints and on standards-related matters. The latter included the approaching end of the tenure of Diane Bushell, whose four year term as one of the Council’s two Independent Persons was to expire on 25th March 2019. The Committee acknowledged her contribution with thanks.

            2. Noted that the recruitment process described in the report had resulted in a recommendation being put to Full Council on 28th March 2019 that it approve the appointment of a new Independent Person to exercise the statutory functions of the role in addition to the ongoing incumbent, Dr David Horne.

            3 Would invite an informally constituted cross-party working group of         members to review the detailed recommendations of the Committee on           Standards in Public Life, with a view to making such recommendations      as it considers appropriate to a future meeting of this Committee.