The role of the
Standards Committee is to strengthen and maintain high
standards of conduct throughout the authority. All principal local authorities are required to
have a Standards Committee.
The Standards
Committee will have the following powers and duties:
(a)
promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct by Councillors,
co-opted members and “church” and parent governor
representatives;
(b)
assisting Councillors, co-opted members and “church”
and parent governor representatives to observe the Members’
Code of Conduct;
(c)
advising the Council on the adoption or revision of the
Members’ Code of Conduct;
(d)
monitoring the operation of the Members’ Code of Conduct;
(e)
developing and recommending local protocols to the Council to
supplement the Members’ Code of Conduct;
(f)
enforcing local protocols and applying sanctions in respect of
breaches as appropriate;
(g)
advising, training or arranging to train Councillors, co-opted
members and “church” and parent governor
representatives on matters relating to the Members’ Code of
Conduct;
(h)
granting dispensations to Councillors, co-opted members and
“church” and parent governor representatives from
requirements relating to interests set out in the Members’
Code of Conduct;
(i)
dealing with any reports from a case tribunal or interim case
tribunal, and any report from the Monitoring Officer on any matter
which is referred by an Ethical Standards Officer to the Monitoring
Officer;
(j)
to keep under review and amend, as appropriate, the Protocol on
Councillor/Officer Relations;
(k)
to keep under review the Officer Code of Conduct and, after
consultation with unions representing staff, make recommendations
to Council for amendment or addition;
(l)
to receive reports and keep a general overview of probity matters
arising from ombudsman investigations, Monitoring Officer reports,
reports of the Chief Financial Officer and Audit Commission;
(m)
to have oversight of the Council’s Whistleblowing Policy;
(n)
to agree the policy for decisions on payments to those adversely
affected by Council maladministration (under section 92 Local
Government Act 2000)
(o)
To establish sub-committees to deal with complaints that a member
or a co-opted member has failed to comply with the Council’s
Code of Conduct
(p)
To consider any application received from any officer of the
Authority for exemption from political restriction under Sections 1
and 2 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 in respect of
the post held by that officer and may direct the Authority that the
post shall not be considered to be a politically restricted post
and that the post be removed from the list maintained by the
Authority under Section 2(2) of that Act.
(q)
Upon the application of any person or otherwise, consider whether a
post should be included in the list maintained by the Authority
under Section 2(2) of the 1989 Act, and may direct the Authority to
include a post in that list.
Information on how to submit a
petition,
deputation or
public question is available on the council website.
