Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Nicholas Weber (Vice-Chair), Councillor Mughal and Councillor GMMH Rahman Kahn.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of urgent business.

There was no such business.

A member with a personal interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered must disclose to that meeting the existence and nature of that interest at the commencement of that consideration, or when the interest becomes apparent.

A member with a personal interest in a matter also has a prejudicial interest in that matter if the interest is one which a member of the public with knowledge of the relevant facts would reasonably regard as so significant that it is likely to prejudice the member's judgment of the public interest.

All Members present declared an interest in respect of the fact that they were to sign up to the Code upon its approval by Full Council.

Members received a presentation from the Monitoring Officer John Suddaby on the revised model code of conduct for Councillors, which Members would be obliged to sign at the start of the 2007/08 municipal year.

The presentation highlighted key changes to the code of conduct.  These included:

-          Rules on interests designed to empower Members as community advocates

-          Changes to requirements in respect of personal interest declarations

-          New rules relating to sensitive information

-          Clarification of the rules relating to confidential information

-          Inclusion of a new provision on bullying

-          Removing the requirement to report other Members in breach of the Code.

Full details of the changes were to be found within the report and code itself.

(Report of the Acting Head of Legal Services and Monitoring Officer)  To report on the revised Model Code of Conduct for Councillors.

Note: Under Standing Order 32.6 no other business shall be considered at the meeting.

Members were informed that they were permitted to make changes to the model, with the provision that this not weaken the Code as a whole.  The Monitoring Officer confirmed that there were no provisions in the code for altering the manner in which information was held, although the option to review this was open to the committee.  Members requested that it be noted that the Council was still awaiting clarifying guidance from the Standards Board for England on this and other issues in respect of the code.

Members noted that all Members would be required to complete a new register of interests within 28 days of the adoption of the new Code of Conduct, and recommended that all Councillors be given a copy upon of it upon its adoption.  It was noted that training days for Members in respect of the new Code would be organised in June.

RESOLVED:

That the Standards Committee:

1.       Propose the adoption of the Revised Model Code of Conduct by the Annual General Meeting of the Council.

2.      Propose to full Council that obtaining individual Member sign-up to the Code using the form provided at appendix 2 of the report is undertaken.

3.      Agree to the proposals of member and Senior Officer Briefing on the new code.

4.      Note that the Council was awaiting guidance from the Standards Board for England on a number of changes in the code.

5.      Advice all Members that they would be required to complete a new Register of Interests within 28 days of the adoption of the new Code of Conduct.

6.      Propose that all Members be given a copy of the new Code upon its adoption.