Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 23 March 2015 be confirmed.

RESOLVED that the item relating to the Independent Person’s allowance be considered last in order that the Independent Person could absent himself from the meeting at that point.

Please note that, in accordance with the Members' Code of Conduct, when declaring interests members must disclose the existence and nature of the interest, and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI) or personal and/or pecuniary.

No declarations of interest were received.

The Legal and Democratic Services Manager:

a)                 outlined the details of a case in which a councillor had been convicted for the criminal offence of taking part in a meeting having failed to disclose a disclosable pecuniary interest.

b)                 advised members that officers would seek to provide annual Member Code of Conduct training in order to ensure that members were given every opportunity to understand their legal commitments.

c)                  invited members’ questions and comments.

Members:

• noted the high volume of meetings the convicted councillor claimed he attended each year.
• expressed surprise that the convicted councillor had been able to continue in his role as a councillor.
• discussed the provision of annual member training, questioning whether experienced members would benefit from attending the same training every year.
• suggested a compromise position with regard to annual training, by ensuring that councillors attended relevant training at least once during a set period of years, rather than attending annually.

The Legal and Democratic Services Manager emphasised that officers had a duty to ensure members were fully aware of their legal obligations.

RESOLVED that:

1. the report be noted.

2. officers be requested to provide Member Code of Conduct training on an annual basis.

The Democratic Services Officer:

a)                 presented a report summarising the outcome of member inductions following the election on 7 May 2015.

b)                 advised that two new councillors had been inducted and that feedback regarding the process had been positive.

c)                  advised that officers were developing suitable changes to the induction programme in light of the forthcoming all-out elections in 2016.

d)                 invited members’ questions and comments.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

The Democratic Services Officer:

a)                 presented a report regarding the Council’s plans for Local Democracy Week.

b)                 advised that two schools had expressed an interest in working with the Council to promote democratic engagement among their students during Local Democracy Week.

c)                  summarised the options available to members.

d)                 invited members’ questions and comments.

Members:

• discussed previous experience of working with schools, noting the success of the panel format trialled in recent years.
• considered the proposed composition of any councillor panels and agreed that the panels should a suitable mix of political, age, and gender backgrounds.
• suggested that where schools within a partnership expressed an interest in participating in Local Democracy Week officers should seek to approach other schools within that partnership.

RESOLVED that officers be requested to contact schools which had expressed an interest in Local Democracy Week to develop events to take place between 12 and 18 October 2015.

The Legal and Democratic Services Manager:

a)                 presented a report regarding the proposed revisions to the Council’s standing orders in relation to the dismissal of specified senior officers.

b)                 advised that the Council had to implement the changes in accordance with the relevant regulations.

c)                  summarised the options available to Council in the implementation of the standing orders.

d)                 invited members’ questions and comments.

Members:

• discussed whether it would be appropriate for councillors to take part with independent persons in forming a relevant panel to consider any proposed dismissal.
• noted that the proper position for the involvement of members in any decision appeared to be through their role on Council, rather than in influencing the recommendation received by Council.
• stated that it was important that councillors were perceived to be acting independently at Council and to have not sought to make unwarranted interference in any processes before that point.

The Democratic Services Officer advised that the letter of advice and subsequent information provided by the Department for Communities and Local Government accompanying the regulations had strongly implied that elected members should not form part of any relevant panel. Instead, councillors would be able to participate in any decision through their role on Council, where members would need to consider but not be bound by the findings of any independent persons.

RESOLVED that members’ support for the proposed changes be noted

The Democratic Services Officer:

1. presented the current Ethics and Engagement Committee work programme for consideration by members.
   
   
2. invited members' questions and comments.

RESOLVED that the work programme be approved.

The Legal and Democratic Services Manager:

a)                 presented a report regarding a recommendation that consideration should be given to increasing the allowance paid to the Independent Person in accordance with the recent increase in the allowance of the Audit Committee’s independent member.

b)                 highlighted the financial position of the relevant budget.

c)                  invited members’ questions and comments.

Members:

• discussed whether it would be appropriate to increase any allowances and the rate at which those allowances should be set in order to ensure fair remuneration at a level sufficiently attractive to ensure high calibre appointments.
• highlighted that any future increases should be set at the same rate as the member allowances, subject to the same increase being applied to the Audit Committee’s independent member.
• considered whether the potential increase was disproportionately large.
• noted that the Reserve Independent Person often had similar responsibilities to the Independent Person and that an allowance should be made available reflecting this.

RESOLVED that:

1. the Independent Person’s allowance be increased to £500 per annum.

2. the Reserve Independent Person’s allowance be set at £250 per annum.

3. Council be recommended to ensure the allowance paid to the Audit Committee’s independent member be increased at the same rate as other member allowances.

4. subject to the implementation of the third resolution above, the allowances paid to the Independent Person and Reserve Independent Person be increased at the same rate as that paid to the Audit Committee’s independent member.