Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillor Keith Iddon and Rev. John Cree.

Members of the Committee are reminded of their responsibility to declare any personal interest in respect of matters contained in this agenda in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government Act 2000, the Council’s Constitution and the Members Code of Conduct.  If the personal interest is a prejudicial interest, then the individual Member should not participate in a discussion on the matter and must withdraw from the room and not seek to influence a decision on the matter.

There were no declarations of interest by Members relating to the items on the agenda.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting of the Standards Committee held on 7 March 2007 (enclosed).

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting of the Standards Committee held on 7 March 2007 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair. 

The report of the Director of Customer, Democratic and Legal Services is enclosed.

The Standards Committee considered the newly published “The Code of Conduct, Guidance for Members”.  The Council at the Annual Meeting to be held on 15 May was scheduled to adopt the revised Code of Conduct. 

The guidance highlighted the importance of the Code being adopted in its model form, without amendment.  This would give certainty to members and the public as to what standards were expected and ensure consistency throughout local authorities, avoiding confusion for members on more than one authority and for the public.  This minimises the legal risk of the authority adopting additional provisions that are unenforceable. 

The Committee noted that the Standards Board for England has recommended that the authority includes a preamble to the Code that it adopts, which outlines the ten general principles governing the conduct of members of local authorities.  These are set out in the Relevant Authorities (General Principles) Order 2001. and are based on the Seven Principles of Public Life set out by the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

These principles define the standards that members should uphold, and serve as a reminder of the purpose of the Code of Conduct.  As these principles do not create a statutory obligation for members, the Standards Board cannot accept allegations that they have been breached.  However, Members should be aware that a failure to act in accordance with these general principles could amount to a breach of the Code of Conduct. 

The Ten General Principles of Public Life are set out below:

Selflessness – members should serve only the public interest and should never improperly confer an advantage or disadvantage on any person.

Honesty and integrity – members should not place themselves in situations where their honesty and integrity may be questioned, should not behave improperly, and should on all occasions avoid the appearance of such behaviour.

Objectivity – members should make decisions on merit, including when making appointments, awarding contracts, or recommending individuals for rewards or benefits.

Accountability – members should be accountable to the public for their actions and the manner in which they carry out their responsibilities, and should co-operate fully and honestly with any scrutiny appropriate to their particular office.

Openness – members should be as open as possible about their actions and those of their authority, and should be prepared to give reasons for those actions.

Personal judgement – members may take account of the views of others, including their political groups, but should reach their own conclusions on the issues before them and act in accordance with those conclusions.

Respect for others – members should promote equality by not discriminating unlawfully against any person, and by treating people with respect, regardless of their race, age, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability. They should respect the impartiality and integrity of the authority’s statutory officers and its other employees.

Duty to uphold the law – members should uphold the law and, on all occasions, act in accordance with the trust that the public is entitled to place in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

Verbal update from the Monitoring Officer.

None.

Verbal update from the Monitoring Officer.

None.

Verbal update from the Monitoring Officer.

One.