CHILTERN DISTRICT COUNCIL
 

 
 

MINUTES of the Meeting of the STANDARDS COMMITTEE
 

 
 

held on 2 JULY 2002
 

 
 

 
 

PRESENT:

Councillor      I T Gomm

- Chairman

 

     "          Mrs L M Smith

- Vice-Chairman

 

 

 

 

Councillor     Ms J E Bramwell

 

 

                

 

 

Independent Member

 

 

Mrs Caroline Langley              

 

 

                

 
 

 
 

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE:

were received from Councillors Miss P A Appleby and

P T Priestley, Parish Councillors E Newhouse and Mrs E Way and from Mr Duncan Backhouse, an Independent Member.
 

 
 

 
 

1.     MINUTES
 

 
 

The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 7 May 2002, copies of which had been previously circulated, were signed by the Chairman as a correct record.
 

 
 

 
 

2.     DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
 

 
 

     There were no declarations of interest made.
 

 
 

 
 

3.     CODE OF CONDUCT – UPDATE
 

      
 

The officers reported that all District and Town/Parish Councils had now complied with the requirements of the Local Government Act 2000 and adopted Codes of Conduct, which incorporated the compulsory provisions set out in the Model Codes of Conduct.  A composite advertisement had been published in local newspapers indicating the dates on which the various Codes had been adopted.
 

 
 

Two Code of Conduct training sessions had been held which had been well attended by District and Town/Parish Councillors, as well as officers of those authorities.  The Head of Legal Services was preparing model answers to the practical exercises which had been considered at the training sessions and would be circulating these in due course.
 

 
 

The Committee discussed whether further training should be arranged for those Members who had not attended the two sessions in June.  Discussion also took place on the suggestion that training on the adopted Codes of Conduct should be arranged for new councillors.
 

 
 

     RESOLVED –
 

 
 

1.

That the report be noted.

 

2.

That training on the adopted Codes of Conduct be included in future induction training for new councillors.

 

3.

 

That a further training session be held for those Members unable to attend the two June sessions on a date in July or September to be arranged.
 

 
 

 
 

4.          CONSULTATION DOCUMENT ON PROPOSED LOCAL DETERMINATION FRAMEWORK    
 

 
 

The Committee was advised of proposals received from the former Department of Transport, Local Government and the Regions (now the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister) that Standard Committees be given a role in the determination of complaints that a councillor has failed to comply with the adopted Code of Conduct of his authority.  A draft response had been made by the Monitoring Officer on behalf of the Council and details were indicated to the Committee.
 

 
 

Arising on the response to question 8 concerning proposals on the composition of Standards Committees, the Committee discussed whether the Chairman of the Sub-Committee, as a Member of the District Council, should take the Chair at investigation hearings or whether an independent member should take the Chair.  Although recognising that there were circumstances in which it could be difficult for a member of the Council to take the Chair in investigation hearings, it was noted that in Chiltern District Council there was a non-political Chairman and it was agreed that the comment from the Council should be amended to indicate that in Councils such as this, where the Chairman was non-political, there appeared to be no reason why the Chairman of the Standards Committee should not also Chair investigation hearings, but it was recognised that this was not always appropriate in all cases.  
 

 
 

     RESOLVED –
 

 
 

That the provisional consultation response made to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister be approved, subject to the changes indicated in respect of question 8.
 

      
 

      
 

5.     NEXT MEETING
 

 
 

     RESOLVED –
 

 
 

     That the next meeting of the Committee be held on Tuesday 24 September 2002 at 6.30 pm.
 

 
 

 
 

                
 

The Meeting ended at 7.17 pm
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

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