Agenda, decisions and minutes
Venue: Virtual Meeting - Zoom
Contact: Eirian Roberts 01286 679018
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APOLOGIES To receive any apologies for absence. Minutes: An apology had
been received from Mr Richard Parry Hughes, Community Council Member. |
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DECLARATION OF PERSONAL INTEREST To receive any declaration of personal interest. Minutes: Mr Hywel Eifion
Jones declared a personal interest in item 6 on the agenda – Public Service
Ombudsman for Wales Consultation – New Draft Guidance on the Code of Conduct
for Members of County and Community / Town Councils, as he was a member of the
Adjudication Panel for Wales, a panel that was referenced in the report. He was not of the
opinion that it was a prejudicial interest, and he did not withdraw from the
meeting during the discussion on the item. |
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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. |
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The Chairman shall propose that the minutes of the previous
meeting of this committee held on 9th November, 2020 be signed as a true
record (attached). Minutes: The Chair signed
the minutes of the previous meeting of this committee held on 9 November 2020
as a true record. |
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SELF ASSESSMENT AND WORK PROGRAMME PDF 127 KB To submit the
report of the Monitoring Officer
(attached). Decision: (a) To adopt the following as
the committee’s self-assessment of its performance in 2019/20, noting that
circumstances beyond the control of the Standards Committee had meant that
several actions could not be implemented this time:- (b) To approve the following
work programme for 2021/22:- June,
2021 Annual
Report Allegations
against Members The
Ombudsman’s Casebook Local
Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 Training
in general November,
2021 Register
of Gifts and Hospitality Declaration
of Interests Register The
Ombudsman’s Annual Report Allegations
against Members Conflicts
of Interests and partners outside Local Government Preparation for the May 2022
Election in respect of the Code of Conduct February,
2022 Adjudication
Panel’s Annual Report Allegations against Members Minutes: Submitted – the
report of the Monitoring Officer inviting the committee to:- ·
undertake a self-assessment of the work and outcomes
of the Committee during 2019/20; and ·
consider a draft work programme for 2021/22. It was emphasised
that although the self-assessment table in Appendix 1 was based on normal
circumstances, the Covid situation had significantly impacted the ability to
deliver the functions over the past year. Technically, a number of the
functions fell within Category 4, but this did not fully reflect the situation,
and it was important to note that it was the crisis that had led the Standards
Committee to this situation rather than a lack of action on its part. The Monitoring
Officer was asked about his views on the Ombudsman's effectiveness in relation
to the decisions on whether or not to investigate complaints. In response, it
was explained that it was difficult to measure the effectiveness of the
Ombudsman, although the committee could monitor how the system was working when
it discussed the Ombudsman's annual reports and quarterly letters. In response
to a further question about challenging the Ombudsman's decision, it was
explained that this did not generally happen, unless it was in relation to a
very specific matter, or when something had been misunderstood or
misinterpreted, or required further information. It was suggested that the
committee could discuss this further under item 6 on the agenda. It was noted that
it would be beneficial to provide guidance on the Code of Conduct for groups
that were choosing candidates for the 2022 Election, to ensure that people
putting their names forward were aware of the commitments involved with
becoming a councillor. In response, it
was suggested that it would be useful for the committee to receive a report in
November on the preparation for the May 2022 Election in relation to raising
awareness of the Code of Conduct's requirements amongst prospective candidates
and existing members. It was noted that
it was timely to review the overall training arrangements, and it was suggested
that a report should be submitted to the committee meeting in June. It was also
noted that, when circumstances allowed, it was intended to re-establish the
pilot course for community councils on the Code of Conduct virtually, and to
report back. RESOLVED (a) To
adopt the following as the committee’s self-assessment of its performance in
2019/20, noting that circumstances beyond the control of the Standards
Committee had meant that several actions could not be implemented this time:-
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