To consider any actions arising from the minutes of the previous meeting.
Minutes:
i. Cllr N Dixon referred to an agreed outcome on page 4 that a written answer would be provided, and noted that he was yet to receive that answer. The DSM replied that the previous Monitoring Officer had now left the organisation, and it was not deemed appropriate request an answer at the time. It was accepted that a response was still required and the DSM asked whether the Interim Monitoring Officer could provide any further response. The IMO stated that she was not able to answer the question as she was not in attendance at the meeting in question and did not write the report.
ii. Cllr A Brown suggested that it might be possible for the Chief Executive to provide a written response.
iii. Cllr L Shires stated that she did not believe the matter fell within the remit of the Standards Committee, and therefore agreed that the most appropriate solution would be for the Chief Executive to provide a written response.
iv. Cllr G Perry-Warnes reiterated concerns she had raised at the last meeting regarding the issue not falling within the remit of the Standards Committee, and stated that as the report author had left the organisation, it was not appropriate for and answer to be given on their behalf.
v. The Chairman stated that he was supportive of requesting that the Chief Executive provide a written reply and asked whether this would be satisfactory. Cllr N Dixon replied that he was satisfied that this would provide an adequate reply, but raised concerns that he felt the matter still related to the Standards Committee and should be seen by Committee Members.
vi. Cllr L Shires stated that she did not believe that contract procurement exemptions were relevant to the Standards Committee, and asked for clarification on the matter to avoid unnecessary discussion. The DSM replied that she had reviewed the Committee’s TOR and stated that its purpose was to promote and maintain high standards of conduct for Councillors, training, granting dispensations, assessing allegations of misconduct, overseeing whistleblowing and maintaining oversight of the constitution. She added that the Committee’s primary focus was Member conduct, and the matter being discussed fell within the remit of GRAC. It was noted that audit work had begun on procurement exemptions that sought to improve the process, with a report expected at GRAC in September.
vii. The Chairman noted that the previous meeting the meeting had moved into private session to discuss exempt matters, and reiterated that this had been a justified action, despite concerns. He added that from that meeting, someone appeared to have leaked exempt information, and this was a matter of serious concern. The DSM added that this was a breach of the code of conduct, and reminded Members that they must abide by the rules of confidentiality. Cllr N Dixon noted his agreement, and stated that the Standards Committee ought to set the standard for all Committees. Cllr J Rest asked for clarification on whether the minutes of the last meeting covered exempt discussion, and it was confirmed that the minutes had been sanitised for publication.
viii. Cllr A Brown referred to the review of the Member-Officer Protocol and asked whether the review had commenced. The DSM replied that it was due to be reviewed by the Constitution Working Party in April, and that an update would be provided once this had taken place.