Agenda item

The Council will receive the minutes of the following Committees:

(a)  Human Resources Committee of Tuesday 28 June 2016;

(b)  Corporate Management Committee of Monday 12 September 2016;

(c)  Service Development and Delivery Committee of Monday 19 September 2016;

(d)  Audit Committee of Thursday 22 September 2016;

(e)  Standards Committee of Monday 26 September 2016;

(f)   Corporate Management Committee of Monday 26 September 2016;

(g)  Local Plan Committee of Tuesday 27 September 2016;

(h)  Community Leadership and Partnerships Committee of Monday 3 October 2016;

(i)    Service Development and Delivery Committee of Monday 24 October 2016; and

(j)    Local Plan Committee of Thursday 3 November 2016.

NOTE:            The above minutes are presented to Council for information only.  Members can ask questions on their contents to the relevant Chairman but questions as to the accuracy of the minutes must be asked at the meeting of the Committee when the relevant minutes are approved as a correct record.

It was moved by Councillor Stock, seconded by Councillor Turner and:

RESOLVED that the minutes of the following Committees, as circulated, be received and noted:

(a)  Human Resources Committee of Tuesday 28 June 2016;

(b)  Corporate Management Committee of Monday 12 September 2016;

(c)  Service Development and Delivery Committee of Monday 19 September 2016;

(d)  Audit Committee of Thursday 22 September 2016;

(e)  Corporate Management Committee of Monday 26 September 2016;

(f)   Local Plan Committee of Tuesday 27 September 2016;

(g)  Community Leadership and Partnerships Committee of Monday 3 October 2016;

(h)  Service Development and Delivery Committee of Monday 24 October 2016; and

(i)    Local Plan Committee of Thursday 3 November 2016.

It was then moved by Councillor Stock and seconded by Councillor Heaney that:

(a)  the minutes of the meeting of the Standards Committee held on 26 September 2016, as circulated, be received and noted; and

(b)  the recommendation to Council, as contained in Minute No.14 (resolution (f)) of the Standards Committee of 26 September 2016 and as set out below, be approved:

“to amend the Complaints Procedure, as set out in the Constitution to allow the Monitoring Officer, at their own discretion and, in exceptional cases, following consultation with the Chief Executive and the Chairman of the Standards Committee, to decide to refer cases to the Committee for determination where the outcome of an investigation was to recommend no breach of the Code of Conduct.”

It was then moved by Councillor Calver and seconded by Councillor Bray that Councillor Stock’s motion be amended to read as follows:

(a)  that the minutes of the meeting of the Standards Committee held on 26 September 2016, as circulated, be received and noted; and

(b)  that the recommendation to Council, as contained in Minute No.14 (resolution (f)) of the Standards Committee of 26 September 2016 and as set out below, be approved:

“to amend the Complaints Procedure, as set out in the Constitution to allow the Monitoring Officer, at their own discretion and, in exceptional cases, following consultation with the Chief Executive, to decide to refer cases to the Committee for determination where the outcome of an investigation was to recommend no breach of the Code of Conduct.”

Following concerns raised by Members with respect to the original recommendation of the Standards Committee and pursuant to Council Procedure Rule 16.6 (Alteration of Motion), Councillor Stock, with the consent of both the meeting and his seconder, Councillor Heaney, indicated that he was prepared to alter his motion so that it read as follows:

(a)  that the minutes of the meeting of the Standards Committee held on 26 September 2016, as circulated, be received and noted; and

(b)  that consideration of the recommendation to Council, as contained in Minute No.14 (resolution (f)) of the Standards Committee of 26 September 2016 be deferred and that the matter be referred back to the Standards Committee for reconsideration.

Councillor Calver and Councillor Bray both agreed to withdraw the amendment.

Councillor Stock’s motion, as altered, on being put to the vote was declared CARRIED.

During the consideration of the above Councillor Calver had asked the Monitoring Officer if the recommendation to Council made by the Standards Committee was legitimate given the fact that it had arisen from consideration of a report that had in fact been submitted to the Standards Committee for its information only. The Monitoring Officer confirmed that the recommendation to Council was legitimate insofar as it related to a matter that fell within the terms of reference of the Standards Committee i.e. the Complaints Procedure.

Councillor Calver had also asked the Monitoring Officer that if Council voted to receive the minutes of the Standards Committee would that mean that Members had endorsed the resolutions within those minutes given that the Labour Group disagreed with many of those resolutions. The Monitoring Officer replied that Minutes of Committees were included on the Council merely for Council to note and also, in accordance with Council Procedure Rules, to allow Members to ask questions of the Chairmen of those Committees on the contents of those Minutes. Committee Minutes were not for Council to endorse.

Councillors Calver and Broderick asked questions of the Chairman of the Standards Committee (Councillor Heaney) on the contents of the Standards Committee minutes to which Councillor Heaney responded.