Agenda item

 

(1)    The Monitoring Officer will give a quarterly update on Complaints.      

 

(2)    The Committee’s Work Programme for 2018/2019

 

The Committee is invited to give consideration to its work programme for the 2018/2019 Municipal Year.

Minutes:

Prior to the update from the Monitoring Officer, the Chairman wished the Committee to discuss the matter of non-payment of Council Tax by Councillors which was receiving public interest. 

 

Following debate by the Committee it was moved by Councillor Heaney, seconded by Councillor Bray and -

 

RESOLVED that:

 

(a)       the Standards Committee is disappointed that a number of Councillors have recently failed to pay Council Tax and reminds all District Council Members of the Guidance approved by the Standards Committee and issued last year and requests the Monitoring Officer to reissue the same;

(b)       Non-payment of Council Tax is regarded as a matter of bringing the Council into disrepute and failing to demonstrate several of the Nolan Principles, especially when Councillors receive a monthly allowance; and

(c)       this subject is included within the Standards Committee’s response to the stakeholder consultation by the Committee on Standards in Public Life on its review of local government ethical standards, particularly in relation to the lack of sanctions.

 

Quarterly Complaints Update

 

The Monitoring Officer circulated to the Committee the quarterly schedule, which gave general details of complaints received, without providing any names, and went through them with the Committee.

 

General Notes – Matters arising through January to March 2018

 

The Monitoring Officer informed the Committee that, unfortunately, due to an increase in her workload/lack of capacity it had not been possible to finalise two of the pending complaints within the time scale specified in the Council’s Complaints Procedure.

 

To that end the Deputy Monitoring Officer arrangements had been amended to provide additional resource to the Monitoring Officer.

 

Members were informed that Linda Trembath (Senior Solicitor) would assist with future matters relating to complaints and, in addition, a governance officer post to be shared with the Council’s Section 151 Officer had been approved for recruitment.

 

Members were also informed that Ian Ford (Committee Services Manager) would be a further source of advice on matters relating to the Council’s Constitution.

 

Requests for Dispensations

 

The Committee was advised that no requests for dispensations had been submitted to the Monitoring Officer since the last update to Members.

 

The Committee’s Work Programme for 2018/2019

 

The Committee gave consideration to its work programme for the 2018/2019 Municipal Year.

 

Members had before them a suggested work programme which had been submitted by the Monitoring Officer.

 

It was moved by Councillor Nicholls, seconded by Councillor Bray and –

 

RESOLVED that the annual Work Programme for 2018/2019, as set out below, be approved –

 

20 June 2018 (provisional date)

 

  • Review of Member and Officer Relations Protocol (contained within the Members’ Constitution Booklet);

 

  • Consultation on proposed changes to mandatory training requirements

 

  • Quarterly Complaints update by Monitoring Officer

 

3 October 2018 (provisional date)

 

  • Consider and approve recruitment arrangements for Independent Persons for appointment from May 2019

 

  • Quarterly Complaints update by Monitoring Officer

 

16 January 2019 (provisional date)

 

  • Review – update for the Committee on decisions and actions taken nationally for information and guidance

 

  • Quarterly Complaints update by Monitoring Officer

 

20 March 2019 (provisional date)

 

  • Update on Mandatory Training

 

  • Annual Report on declarations of interest (meetings, gifts and hospitality)

 

  • Work Programme 2019/2020

 

  • Quarterly Complaints update by Monitoring Officer

 

The Committee was aware that individual matters might be referred to the above meetings by the Monitoring Officer in accordance with the Committee’s Terms of Reference as necessary, for example an appeal against dispensation decision or a code of conduct hearing.