Agenda item - Public Involvement

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Agenda item

Public Involvement

To consider the following matters raised by members of the public:

 

(a)          Petitions: to receive any petitions presented to the full council or at the meeting itself;

 

(b)         Written Questions: to receive any questions submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 18 July 2018;

 

(c)       Deputations: to receive any deputations submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 18 July 2018

Minutes:

(B)     WRITTEN QUESTIONS

 

(i)            Member Complaints

 

4.1         Greg Hadfield put the following question:

 

"I have been concerned by recent reports of an apparent increase in disrespectful behaviour that a minority of councillors have allegedly shown towards ordinary citizens. Could you tell me how many formal complaints under the Code of Conduct have been received by the Monitoring Officer since the beginning of 2017?”

 

4.2         The Chair provided the following reply:

 

“Thank you for your question. I can confirm that a total of 17 formal complaints of behaviour contrary to the Code of Conduct for Members have been received by the Council’s Monitoring Officer since 1st January 2017. This figure comprises all complaints formally made against councillors during this period, including but not only allegations of disrespectful behaviour. The outcome of those complaints – none of which have been referred to a formal hearing and the majority of which have at time of writing been resolved – are reported to this Committee via the Monitoring Officer’s quarterly report on Standards, this as a means of ensuring that the Council’s Audit and Standards Committee discharges its responsibilities for ensuring that high standards of councillor conduct are maintained.  

While your concerns are noted, I am able to confirm that this Council takes very seriously allegations of misconduct by its members and acts promptly to assess and - where relevant - investigate those complaints which indicate that a breach may have occurred. There is a balancing act to be achieved between ensuring fairness to complainants and to those councillors who are the subject of a complaint. The Council’s procedures aim to make sure that only those complaints which are both capable of amounting to a breach of the Code of Conduct and which are in the public interest to progress are investigated. The Council’s arrangements provide for a key role for the Council’s two Independent Persons in ensuring the fairness and objectivity of the process. The outcome is a set of arrangements which are regularly reviewed to ensure that they remain fit for purpose and which equip the Council’s Monitoring Officer to take prompt and fair steps when issues are raised”.

 

4.3         Greg Hadfield put the following supplementary question:

 

“Given the hurtful allegations directed towards myself by several councillors, might the council consider more training about how to avoid appearing to disrespect ordinary citizens, either online or in person?"

 

4.4         The Chair provided the following reply:

 

“I’m afraid that I cannot comment on individual complaints however, two refresher training sessions for all members were offered in July 2017 and a further session in October 2017, while the most recent Standards Panel training events took place in January 2018. The Code of Conduct and the procedures which sit behind it were last updated at end of 2016, and the Social Media Protocol for Members was last updated in July 2017. 

The requirement to review the Code of Conduct and associated procedures/ guidance remains an ongoing one. We are currently awaiting the outcome of the CSPL Review on Local Government Standards. That will be reported back to this Committee via the regular Standards Update report, which will review whatever that review generates against our current arrangements. I can also assure you that the Council takes such matters very seriously and Members do receive ongoing training and the issues you have raised will be considered”.

Supporting documents:

 


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