Agenda and minutes

To note that the Independent Member, Mr Derek Lawrence, will serve as Chairman of the Sub-Committee for this meeting.

RESOLVED: To note that the Independent Member, Mr Derek Lawrence, would serve as Chairman of the Sub-Committee for this meeting.

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from:

(a)               all Members of the Sub Committee;

(b)               all other Members present in any part of the room or chamber.

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no declarations of interests made by Members.

Report of the Director of Legal and Governance Services.

RESOLVED: That the terms of reference of the Sub-Committee be noted.

To resolve that the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business, on the grounds that it/they involve(s) the likely disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence, or of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972:

RESOLVED:  That the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item for the reasons set out below:

The report of the Monitoring Officer and all relevant information will be circulated at the meeting.

Members considered an investigation report prepared on behalf of the Monitoring Officer which set out details of an investigation conducted into a complaint that a Member had failed or may have failed to comply with the Authority’s Code of Conduct for Councillors.  The Sub-Committee fully considered and discussed the report, with each Member setting out their individual thoughts on its contents.

The Sub-Committee noted that the investigation had concluded that in relation to some aspects of the complaint submitted, there were breaches of the Code of Conduct and it was therefore obliged to refer these breaches for determination at a meeting of the Standards Committee, or else to refer the matter to the First Tier Tribunal (Local Government Standards in England). The Sub-Committee also noted that the investigation had concluded that in relation to the other aspects of the complaint, there were no breaches of the Code of Conduct as alleged.

RESOLVED:  That

(1)               the breaches of the code of conduct identified in the investigation report be referred for determination at a local hearing of the Standards Committee;

(2)               the findings of no breaches of the Code of Conduct identified in the investigation report be accepted and agreed.