Agenda and minutes

To receive details of any Members appointed to attend the meeting instead of a Member of the Committee.

None.

None.

None.

Of the meeting held on 20^th July 2015 to be approved and signed.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 20^th July 2015 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To advise the Committee of any complaints made under the Members’ Code of Conduct.

The Committee were advised that, since the last meeting of the Committee, one complaint had been received.  The complaint alleged a number of matters, however at the heart of the complaint was an allegation that a Councillor had brought the Council into disrepute. The Monitoring Officer and the Independent Person found that there had been no adverse publicity to the Council in respect of the matters alleged and therefore the Council had not been brought into disrepute. There were a number of other matters alleged, however no evidence was provided to corroborate those allegations. The Monitoring Officer decided that the allegation did not constitute a breach of any provision in the Code of Conduct and decided to take no further action.

RESOLVED: That the Committee note the report.

To review the registers of Members’ and Officers’ gifts and hospitality and register of interests. The registers will be available for inspection from 6.30p.m. onwards, so that Members can have the opportunity to review them either before or at the meeting.

The Committee were given the opportunity to review the registers of Members’ and Officers’ gifts and hospitality and register of interests.

The Chairman referred to items for consideration at future meetings of the Committee and suggested that there would be merit in considering guidance on the use of electronic media in Council meetings.  Other Committee Members supported this proposal and the Chairman stated that he would ask Officers to bring a report to the next meeting of the Committee in July.

The Committee is invited to pass the following resolution:-

That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of information as defined in Schedule 12A of the said Act.

RESOLVED: That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of information as defined in Schedule 12A of the said Act.

Of the meeting held on 20^th July 2016 to be approved and signed.

RESOLVED: That the minutes (Exempt items) of the meeting held on 20^th July 2015 be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To advise the Committee of an upheld complaint by the Local Government Ombudsman.

The Committee were advised of an upheld complaint by the Local Government Ombudsman.  The Monitoring Officer advised that the decision statement would be published by the Ombudsman on their website three months after the decision date. As that period had not yet been completed, the Ombudsman had requested that the report be considered by the Committee in private.

Sally Kelsall, Housing Strategy and Private Sector Team Manager, was in attendance and she explained the background to the case and the actions that had been taken to address the Ombudsman’s findings.

The Committee noted the content of the report and the Ombudsman’s decision statement.