Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber B, Council Offices, Brympton Way, Yeovil. View directions

Contact: Becky Sanders, Case Officer - 01935 462596  Email: becky.sanders@southsomerset.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 84 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the previous meeting held on 25 February 2019.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 25 February 2019 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

2.

Apologies for absence

Minutes:

An apology for absence was received from Councillor Jenny Kenton.

3.

Declarations of Interest

In accordance with the Council’s current Code of Conduct (as amended 26 February 2015), which includes all the provisions relating to Disclosable Pecuniary Interests (DPI), personal and prejudicial interests, Members are asked to declare any DPI and also any personal interests (and whether or not such personal interests are also “prejudicial”) in relation to any matter on the Agenda for this meeting. 

Members are reminded that they need to declare the fact that they are also a member of a County, Town or Parish Council as a Personal Interest. Where you are also a member of Somerset County Council and/or a Town or Parish Council within South Somerset you must declare a prejudicial interest in any business on the agenda where there is a financial benefit or gain or advantage to Somerset County Council and/or a Town or Parish Council which would be at the cost or to the financial disadvantage of South Somerset District Council. 

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

4.

Public question time

Minutes:

There were no questions from the member of the public present at the meeting.

5.

Update on matters of interest pdf icon PDF 66 KB

Minutes:

The Lead Specialist (Legal) in her role as Monitoring Officer reminded members that at the previous meeting a report from the Committee on Standards in Public Life had been considered. She noted that many of the best practice recommendations within the report would require legislative changes and the government was currently silent regarding timeframes. Having recently met with other Monitoring Officers in Somerset, it had been agreed there were some elements of work that did not require legislative changes, and as a group would pick up on some of the best practice guidelines.

6.

Exclusion of Press and Public pdf icon PDF 29 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED:

That the following item (agenda item 7) be considered in Closed Session by virtue of the Local Government Act 1972, Schedule 12A under paragraphs 1 and 3: Information relating to any individual; and Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

 

7.

Report on Investigation into Code of Conduct Complaint (Confidential)

Minutes:

In confidential session, members considered a report on an investigation into a Code of Conduct complaint.

 

Following discussion, members noted the Investigators report, agreed a summary of actions and requested reports to be considered at a future meeting of the Standards Committee .

 

It was agreed that a future meeting of the Standards Committee should be arranged in early 2020 once the new Monitoring Officer had settled in to the post.

 

RESOLVED:

That Standards Committee:

1.   Noted the Investigator’s report.

2.   Requested that the Monitoring Officer review the operation of the Council’s ‘Protocol on Member / Officer Relations’ and ‘Process and Guidance’ documents, having heard the Committee’s comments and with a view to bringing revised drafts to a future meeting of the Committee.

3.   Made suggestions for other follow-up actions.