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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meeting of the Standards Committee held on 30 January 2023 be signed and approved as a correct record.
RESOLVED- That the Members' Register of Interests be approved by the Standards Committee. Note: Councillor Chris Cater declared a personal interest in the above item as his register of interest was being considered. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, Councillor Cater remained in the meeting whilst the item was discussed.
RESOLVED- That the register of Gifts and Hospitality be approved by the Standards Committee.
It was proposed and seconded that Clive Wolfendale be elected as Chair of the Standards Committee. RESOLVED: That Clive Wolfendale be re-elected as Chair of the Standards Committee.
It was proposed and seconded that Brenda Bignold be elected as Vice-Chair of the Standards Committee. RESOLVED: That Brenda Bignold be re-elected as Vice-Chair of the Standards Committee.
None.
Councillor Chris Cater declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 10 (Members' Register of Interests) as his register of interests was being considered. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, Councillor Cater remained in the meeting whilst the item was discussed.
None.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meeting of the Standards Committee held on 30 January 2023 be signed and approved as a correct record.
The minutes of the meeting of the Standards Committee held on 30 January 2023 were submitted for approval. RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meeting of the Standards Committee held on 30 January 2023 be signed and approved as a correct record.
The Monitoring Officer provided the following update: • The Standards Committee Annual report 2022/2023 would be considered at the next meeting of the Standards Committee. A draft version had been circulated to Members of the Committee for their comments. • Members of the Standards Committee would meet with Political Group Leaders in August, 2023 in order to discuss their duty to promote high standards of conduct amongst their members. • The Welsh Government was consulting in respect of their proposals following receipt of the Penn Report, arising from the Independent Review of the Ethical Standards Framework in Wales (Penn Review). Standards Committee Members would be consulted regarding Conwy County Borough Council’s response to the consultation. • A Forward Work Programme (FWP) would be introduced for the Standards Committee, which would include some standing items such as, the Standards Committee’s Annual Report, a summary of the findings from the “our findings” section of the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW), the PSOW’s Annual report and the Annual Report of the Adjudication Panel for Wales. A training session would also be delivered before the start of each meeting of the Committee, to include Code of Conduct training.. The introduction of a FWP was welcomed and it was suggested that a schedule of visits to Town and Community Council meetings be included.
The Vice-Chair had attended a meeting of Penmaenmawr Town Council on 25 April 2023. The following was noted: • The website provided up to date information. • The meeting was well run. No interests were declared, however Councillors were given the opportunity to do so. • No members of the public were in attendance at the meeting which may have been due to the inaccessible venue. Discussions took place regarding alternative venues. • The Town Council had been unable to recruit a clerk. A locum clerk was currently in place. The following was discussed: · The importance of recruiting and retaining an effective clerk. · It was confirmed that the Senior Community Development and Engagement Officer provided support to Town and Community Council Clerks and that a cluster system was in place. One voice Wales also offered support and guidance. The Town Council structure could be problematic due to there being no leader.
Hazel Jones’ second term on the Standards Committee would come to an end in July, 2023. Thanks were extended to Ms Jones for her contributions during her two terms as an Independent Member. The Monitoring Officer advised that the vacancy would be advertised and that Council would confirm the interview panel at its meeting on 13 July, 2023. RECOMMENDED TO COUNCIL: That an interview panel be proposed to the Council for the appointment of an Independent Member of the Standards Committee, to include: the Chair (or Vice Chair) of the Standards Committee, the Community Committee Member of the Standards Committee and a Lay Member.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- That the Members' Register of Interests be approved by the Standards Committee. Note: Councillor Chris Cater declared a personal interest in the above item as his register of interest was being considered. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, Councillor Cater remained in the meeting whilst the item was discussed.
The Councillors’ Register of Interests was presented for the inspection of the Standards Committee. The following was discussed: • Disclosing personal details could be barrier to those seeking election. • It was no longer a requirement for Elected Members to disclose their home address. • It was the Elected Members’ responsibility to ensure that their interests were up to date and accurate RESOLVED- That the Members' Register of Interests be approved by the Standards Committee. Note: Councillor Chris Cater declared a personal interest in the above item as his register of interest was being considered. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, Councillor Cater remained in the meeting whilst the item was discussed.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED- That the register of Gifts and Hospitality be approved by the Standards Committee.
The Councillors’ Register of Gifts and Hospitality was presented for the inspection of the Standards Committee. The following was discussed: • It was confirmed that a standard form for registering gifts and hospitality was available to Elected Members. • It had been agreed nationally that gifts and hospitality valued at £25 or above should be declared. RESOLVED- That the register of Gifts and Hospitality be approved by the Standards Committee.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
Lists the council's current councillors only. Co-opted members, officers and former councillors aren't shown.