Issue - meetings

For information.

To note the information.

The report was presented by the Propriety and Elections Manager. The Committee was briefed on the Ombudsman's decisions on formal complaints against members. It was reported that this was a summary of complaints that had been closed, to provide the Committee with a snapshot of the type of things that were referred to the Ombudsman and the decisions made when assessing the complaints. It was noted that no decision notices had been received from the Ombudsman since the previous report.

In response to an enquiry, it was confirmed that a complaint against a former member of the Council had been referred directly to the Adjudication Panel for Wales by the Ombudsman. It was noted that it was hoped that further details on this matter would be available by the next meeting of the Committee, so it would be possible to elaborate on it at that time.

It was asked what Members' position was regarding declaring an interest in relation to decisions when they were members of trust boards. It was explained that this issue was part of the statutory and legal duties towards that company or charity to promote the success of the relevant company but that the issue of conflict of interest also needed to be considered and that there was a need to be careful not to go against either duty. It was noted that the unique issue needed to be dealt with in accordance with the requirements and the trust or company and to follow the appropriate guidelines. It was detailed that the code of conduct generally stated that the code of conduct of the organisation of which the member is a part should be followed. It was explained that it was possible to work with the Democracy Team to create an explanatory specific designation detailing this issue in the member induction pack by the next Elections period in 2027 to ensure an understanding of the nature of the code and the relevant guidelines.

To note the information.