Issue - meetings

The Local Government Association has produced a New Model Member Code of Conduct which is appended to this report at Appendix 1.

The Standards Committee is responsible for monitoring the Code of Conduct and for making recommendations to Full Council on any changes to the Code.

The Committee is asked to note the new Code at this stage but to invite interested parties and other stakeholders to provide comment on the Council’s existing Code and the LGA Model Code, in accordance with the best practice recommendations of the Committee for Standards in Public Life.

The Head of Democratic Services presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'D' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

The Local Government Association had produced a New Model Member Code of Conduct which was appended to this report at Appendix 1.

The Standards Committee was responsible for monitoring the Code of Conduct and for making recommendations to Full Council on any changes to the Code.

The Committee was asked to note the new Code at this stage but to invite interested parties and other stakeholders to provide comment on the Council’s existing Code and the LGA Model Code, in accordance with the best practice recommendations of the Committee for Standards in Public Life.

The Committee welcomed the report and were in support of the recommendations.   

The Committee felt that on the availability of the model Code of Conduct, it should be presented to this Committee as soon as possible, to allow recommendations to be made to Full Council.  If the published timetable of meetings did not fit in with this process, an extraordinary meeting may need to be arranged.

RECOMMENDED that:

(a)    the Local Government Association Model Councillor Code of Conduct be welcomed and the committee await the outcome of the Government consideration of the Committee for Standards in Public Life recommendations;

(a)    the comments of parish and town councils, community organisations, neighbouring authorities and other interested parties, individuals and stakeholders be invited on both the Council’s existing Code of Conduct and the LGA’s Model Councillor Code of Conduct; and

(b)    a further report be presented to the next meeting of the Committee in April 2021 with the outcome of (a) and (b) above and an update on the associated work of the Constitution Review Working Group.

Voting: Unanimous