| Number |
Title and Minutes |
|
11 |
Confirmation of Minutes - 12 December 2012
RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 12 December
2012 be confirmed.
|
|
12 |
Declarations of Interest
No declarations of interest were received.
|
|
13 |
Code
of Conduct: Cases Review
The Assistant Director of Legal and Corporate Support
Services:
- presented a report containing information on recent cases
relating to other local authorities’ codes of conduct.
- highlighted that members should identify any issues raised
within the report as being relevant for further consideration with
regard to their impact upon members of the Council.
- invited members' questions and comments.
Members:
- noted the case relating to the involvement of a council
leader with freedom of information requests.
- discussed the scope available to members for political debate,
noting the line between robust and offensive language. The
need for effective chairing was noted, as was the potential for
standards complaints to be politically motivated.
The Assistant Director of Legal and Corporate Support Services
responded that:
- any interaction between elected members and officers dealing
with freedom of information requests should not allow control over
the response to be ceded to elected members.
- the provisions of the Localism Act 2011 gave the Monitoring
Officer the power, in consultation with the Independent Person, to
place limits upon vexatious complaints and to refer matters to
the Committee wherever necessary.
RESOLVED that the report be noted.
|
|
14 |
E-Democracy
The Assistant Director of Legal and Corporate Support Services
and the Democratic Services Officer:
- presented a report summarising the Council's current use
of modern technology in democratic services.
- explained that the Council was procuring a replacement
for its committee management IT system, as its current
system had not been under active development for
a number of years.
- noted that the replacement committee management
system would allow, among other things, members to
download and view their agenda papers on a tablet computer, and
could potentially enable significant savings in printing and
postage, as well as an environmental benefit.
- highlighted that councillors had access to an
e-learning website, which was not widely used
and was allocated a significant proportion of the member
development budget; members' views on its continuation were
therefore sought.
- invited members' questions and comments.
Members:
- noted their previous positive experiences with paperless
agendas and the intuitive manner in which tablet computers could be
operated, even by those with relatively limited experience of
computers.
- discussed the Council's current provision of electronic
agendas, noting the previous difficulty in navigating large agendas
and questioning whether Microsoft tablet computers would be
supported.
- raised concerns about the likely cost of providing tablet
computers to members, including the potential risk and additional
costs in the event of the computers being lost.
- considered the manner in which paperless agendas could be
trialled, including the advisability of using the Committee as a
starting point for any trial.
- discussed the potential complexity of paperless working for
councillors who were not from a professional background; while the
move towards electronic working was to be supported, the imposition
of a potential barrier for ordinary people should be
considered.
- advised that the e-learning package should be discontinued,
with funds diverted towards development activities which would
benefit a greater number of councillors.
The Democratic Services Officer responded that:
- using the new system, committee papers could be accessed
directly through Android and iPad tablet computers, which accounted
for approximately 95% of those sold in the UK; Microsoft tablets
were not currently supported. The Council currently only provided
iPads, but the provision of Android tablets would be discussed with
IT officers.
- even incorporating the cost of providing tablet computers to
members and any mitigation of the risk of loss through insurance,
the Council could expect to make significant savings through
paperless agendas over the course of a councillor's four-year
term.
The Assistant Director of Legal and Corporate Support Services
noted that for the purposes of the trial, it would be possible to
provide tablet computers to committee members to enable them to
offer feedback on the use of the new committee management
system.
RESOLVED that:
- members' interest in taking part in a trial for paperless
agendas be noted.
- officers be requested to cancel the Council's e-learning
service for councillors.
|
|
15 |
Councillors' Use of Social Media
The Assistant Director of Legal and Corporate Support
Services:
- presented a proposed protocol covering the use of social media
by councillors.
- noted that the protocol was provided in response to requests by
councillors who required additional guidance on the use of online
social media, including services such as Facebook and
Twitter.
- explained that a consultation had been undertaken with members
in advance of the Committee's consideration of the protocol, and
that responses had emphasised the new opportunities for public
engagement offered by social media as well as the need for clear
guidelines.
- emphasised the need, in addition to any guidance, for
members to exercise common sense in engaging with social
media.
- invited members' questions and comments.
Members:
- noted the varying perceptions associated with different kinds
of electronic devices in meetings, with smaller devices, including
mobile phones, more likely to be viewed by members of the public as
being used improperly.
- highlighted that the use of pseudonyms would often allow
councillors to avoid effective oversight.
- discussed the particular legal and political risks associated
with social media, and requested guidance on the extent to which
councillors' statements were protected by qualified privilege.
- considered the benefits that social media could bring,
particularly through encouraging interaction with different
sections of the community.
- debated the extent to which social media was used in community
groups across the city, noting that social media could not replace
face-to-face contact with residents.
- discussed broader topics relating to the perceived
professionalisation of councillors, with a particular emphasis on
the increased focus upon member development in recent years.
The Assistant Director of Legal and Corporate Support Services
responded that a report was scheduled to be considered at the next
meeting of the Committee which would address the Council's approach
to member development.
RESOLVED that:
- a briefing note on qualified privilege be requested.
- the social media protocol be circulated for members' attention
pending the approval of guidance regarding qualified
privilege.
|
|
16 |
Independent Person Protocol
The Assistant Director of Legal and Corporate Support
Services:
- presented a report proposing the adoption of a protocol
governing the role of the Council's Independent Person.
- noted that the protocol had been developed in
accordance with the Council's particularly inclusive approach
to involving the Independent Person in its operations wherever
appropriate.
- invited members' questions and comments.
The Independent Person:
- requested that the attendance of the Independent Person at
meetings of the Council be incorporated within the protocol,
including with reference to their receipt of agendas, incorporation
in minutes, and seating arrangements at the Guildhall.
- advised that the position of the Independent Person with
relation to exempt information should be clarified.
- suggested that the Independent Person's access to Council
buildings should be altered to ensure prior permission was not
required.
The Assistant Director of Legal and Corporate Support Services
responded that the Independent Person's views would be
incorporated into the final protocol.
RESOLVED that the Independent Person Protocol be approved
subject to the incorporation of the points highlighted above.
|
|
17 |
Work
Programme Update
The Democratic Services Officer:
- presented the current Ethics and Engagement Committee work
programme for consideration by members.
- noted the addition of an item relating to the provision of
citizenship lessons within local schools, which was scheduled for
consideration at the next meeting, and requested members' input on
the manner in which the item would be considered.
- invited members' questions and comments.
Members:
- noted the value of effective engagement with local schools and
the value in understanding the current position of citizenship
lessons.
- discussed the conducting of school councils at the Guildhall
and the positive contribution these could make to young people's
understanding of local democracy.
- considered whether the inclusion of a work programme item
relating to increasing the diversity of electoral candidates
encroached upon the exclusive realm of political parties or was a
necessary step in ensuring, among other things, that local
residents were aware of how to become a councillor.
The Assistant Director of Legal and Corporate Support Services
responded that:
- school councils were still conducted in the Guildhall, although
one had yet to take place in the current year.
- the work programme item relating to the diversity of electoral
candidates was in no way meant to dictate the policies of political
parties and would be re-worded to ensure this was clear. The topic
had been included as support for the relevant strand of the
Council's Strategic Plan.
RESOLVED that:
- members' comments regarding the work programme be noted.
- appropriate teacher and pupil representatives from a local
school be invited to the next meeting to discuss the provision of
citizenship lessons and activities.
|
(224KB)