Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Rona Burt.

The Member who is substituting for another Member should so indicate together with the name of the relevant absent Member.

There were no substitutes present at the meeting.

Members of the public who live or work in the District are invited to put one question or statement of not more than three minutes duration relating to items in Part 1 of the agenda only.  If a question is asked and answered within three minutes the person who asked the question may ask a supplementary question that arises from the reply.  A person wishing to speak must register to speak at least 15 minutes before the time the meeting is scheduled to start.  There is an overall time limit of 15 minutes for public speaking which may be extended at the Chairman’s discretion.

There were no questions/statements from members of the public.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 26 June 2017 (copy attached).

The minutes of the meeting held on 26 June 2017 were unanimously accepted by the Committee as an accurate record and were signed by the Chairman.

Report No: JST/JT/17/003

The Monitoring Officer updated the Committee on current Standards activity across West Suffolk.

It was bought to the Committee’s attention that there had been a rise in the amount of complaints received in relation to the use of social media. The Monitoring Officer explained that one of the key factors in the rise was that the relevant individuals were not fully distinguishing their personal profiles from their professional profiles. Member training and drop-in sessions on standards and social media had recently been offered to all Councillors as an opportunity for them to seek advice on how to use social media effectively.

The Chairman bought to the Committee’s attention information that had previously been circulated by the Monitoring Officer in relation to a Government Consultation on the disqualification criteria for Councillors. A response to the consultation was being prepared, however on review, Officers had concerns that one aspect of the proposal, related to the subject of Sexual Risk Orders (SRO), had been understated in the consultation. It was felt that further discussion was required on the subject to provide an adequate response.

The Monitoring Officer explained how an individual might be subject to an SRO and how organisations such as the Council or Political Parties would be able to access such information about an individual.

A discussion was held by the Committee as to how the Council could enhance the nomination process for prospective candidates to ensure they fully understood the qualification criteria they had to meet to stand as a District, Borough or Parish Councillor. It was agreed that the Monitoring Officer would engage with the Elections Manager to find out more information on the nomination process.

The Monitoring Officer also updated the Committee on a recent training event that had been scheduled for Independent Persons. 12 people from various Local Authorities had attended and the feedback had been positive.

Attention was drawn to exempt appendices one and two, which were attached to the agenda. In order to facilitate discussion on these documents the Committee resolved to move into Part 2 of the agenda.

To consider whether the press and public should be excluded during the consideration of the following items because it is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during the items, there would be disclosure to them of exempt categories of information as prescribed in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, and indicated against each item and, in all circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

With the vote being unanimous, it was

RESOLVED:

That, under Section 100(A) 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 exempt information as prescribed in Part 1 Section 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 and indicated against each item.

(These Appendices 1 and 2 to Report No: JST/JT/17/003 ‘Update on Standards Activity’ are to be considered under Paragraphs 1and 2 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as they contain information relating to an individual(s) and information which is likely to reveal the identity of an individual)

The Monitoring Officer updated the Committee on the progress of particular Town and Parish Councils in relation to the number and nature of complaints that had been received throughout the year, as well as some recent staff changes.

Members discussed in detail possible actions that the Council could take in an attempt to reduce the amount of Parish and Town Councillor complaints that the Monitoring Officer received. The importance of having an effective Clerk who could assist in resolving minor internal disputes was highlighted, as well as a suggestion that all Parish and Town Councillors should undergo some form of compulsory Standards training during their term of office.

With the vote being unanimous, it was

RESOLVED:

That:-

1.   The West Suffolk Joint Standards Committee noted the contents of Report No: JST/JT/17/003; 

2.   The West Suffolk Joint Standards Committee endorse the proposal to respond to the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) consultation indicating that individuals subject to a Sexual Risk Order should be restricted from being a Councillor in future. The Monitoring Officer would explore ways to enhance the Council’s nomination process to ensure individuals were aware of the disqualification criteria and report back to the Joint Committee at their next meeting.