Venue: Ystafell Gwyrfai, Council Offices, Caernarfon, Gwynedd. LL55 1SH
Contact: Eirian Roberts 01286 679018
No. | Item |
---|---|
APOLOGIES To receive
any apologies for absence. Minutes: An apology was
received from Mr Aled Jones. |
|
DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive
any declaration of personal interest. Minutes: No declarations of
personal interest were received from any members present. |
|
URGENT ITEMS To note any items that are
a matter of urgency in the view of the Chairman for consideration. Minutes: No urgent matters
were raised. |
|
The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous meeting of this Committee held on 4th November, 2019 be signed as a true record (attached). Minutes: The Chair signed
the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 4 November 2019
as a true record. |
|
ETHICS STANDARDS IN OUTSOURCING AND COLLABORATION ARRANGEMENTS PDF 58 KB To consider the report of the Monitoring
Officer (to follow). Additional documents:
Minutes: The Monitoring
Officer's report was submitted, giving an overview of the range of different
governance arrangements involved with the Council's collaboration across a
range of projects in various fields, and explaining how issues of propriety are
addressed. The Monitoring
Officer noted, as there was a history of close collaboration between North
Wales monitoring officers, that a great deal of co-ordination work happened
behind the scenes and made it easier to reach a consensus on different matters. Specific reference
was made to:- ·
The table in Appendix 1 of the report, which gave a brief overview of the
types of collaboration and outsourcing models most frequently used. ·
The Code of Conduct for North Wales Ambition Board
Consultants. An enquiry was
made as to how all of this was presented to councillors so that the
requirements were perfectly clear to them.
In response, it was explained that this had to be dealt with on a case
by case basis. E.g. the monitoring officers advised members regarding joint
committees. There was a protocol for the
Ambition Board regarding the arrangements, and in the case of companies such as
Byw'n Iach, the board of directors had been instructed to go through the requirements
with the councillors. In response to a
further question, it was noted that no problems had arisen in terms of
declarations of interest in a collaborative situation, whether by
misunderstanding or offence. These issues where quite evident on the whole, and
it was possible to have a sensible and mature conversation whenever a situation
arose. It was also important to have
that conversation early enough. RESOLVED to note and accept the contents of the
report. |
|
DECLARATION OF MEMBERS' INTERESTS PDF 58 KB To consider the
report of the Senior Solicitor (Corporate)
(attached). Additional documents:
Minutes: Submitted - the
report of the Senior Solicitor (Corporate) presenting details regarding the
procedure for registering members' interests and inviting the committee to
offer any observations on actions which could be taken in relation to this. It was noted that
some organisations re-distributed forms for the upfront declaration of
interests annually, and that this could be considered rather than sending
reminder notices only. It was suggested
that the community councils should be informed that registering beforehand was
mandatory rather than just good practice. In response, it was explained that
community councils could not be forced to do this as their members were not
required to register interests upfront. It was noted that,
in the attempt to create an informal / welcoming environment at community
council meetings, there was a tendency to inform members who had interests that
they did not have to leave the room during the discussion on the matter at
hand. The Monitoring
Officer suggested that there could be a piece of work to be undertaken looking
at the way interests were registered. Regardless of the climate in terms of
enforcement, members conformed as that was the right thing to do, and not
because there was any requirement for them to do so. It also generated a better
image if the member who had an interest left the room. It was noted that
Gwynedd councillors were urged to meet with the Monitoring Officer or the
Senior Solicitor (Corporate) beforehand to check whether or not they had an
interest in an item on a committee agenda. It was noted that
community council clerks did not declare interests. In response, it was explained that the Code
of Conduct was not relevant to staff, and as the only officer working for a
community council, that it could be difficult for the clerk to step aside. Despite this, it would be possible to put
arrangements in place for the management of such a situation as this all
involved public image. It was suggested
that this could be included in the clerks' training. The training
arranged in Tywyn recently was praised, and the Monitoring Officer was thanked
for attending. It was noted that
the form did not clearly highlight that the interests of partners etc. were
also relevant. The members were
asked, as users, to take a look at the upfront registration form and the form
for the registration of declarations made in meetings, and to contact the
Monitoring Officer with any suggestions for improvement. RESOLVED
to note and accept the contents of the report. |
|
ALLEGATIONS AGAINST MEMBERS PDF 45 KB To consider the report of the Senior
Solicitor (Corporate) (attached). Minutes: Submitted, for
information, the report of the Senior Solicitor (Corporate) presenting
information about the Ombudsman's decisions on formal complaints against
members. It was noted that the Ombudsman was investigating one complaint and
considering whether or not to investigate another. Observations from the
discussion: ·
It was noted that it was encouraging to see so few
complaints, but that some members had concerns regarding the time it took to
receive a response from the Ombudsman. It was noted that this was a matter
which had also been raised at the full Council. ·
The Monitoring Officer explained that the complaint needed to be
substantial for the Ombudsman to investigate and take action. RESOLVED to
note and accept the contents of the report. |