Wrthi'n llwytho
Y penderfyniadau fel y mae cofnodion y cyngor yn eu cofnodi. Bydd crynodeb mewn iaith glir yn dilyn pan fydd wedi'i ysgrifennu.
RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meeting of the Standards Committee held on 10 October 2022 be signed and approved as a correct record.
RESOLVED- That the Councillors’ Register of Interests be approved by the Standards Committee.
RESOLVED- That the register of Gifts and Hospitality be signed by the Chairman of the Standards Committee. Note: Councillor Louise Emery declared an interest in the above item, as she was an Elected Member and had submitted her Register of Gifts and Hospitality. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, Councillor Emery was able to speak and vote on the matter.
An apology for absence was received from Anne Mellor (Independent Member).
Councillor Louise Emery declared an interest in Agenda Item 9 (Register of Gifts and Hospitality), as she is an Elected Member and had submitted her Register of Gifts and Hospitality. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, Councillor Emery was able to speak and vote on the matter.
None.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meeting of the Standards Committee held on 10 October 2022 be signed and approved as a correct record.
The minutes of the meeting of the Standards Committee held on 10 October 2022 were submitted for approval. RESOLVED- That the minutes of the meeting of the Standards Committee held on 10 October 2022 be signed and approved as a correct record.
The Deputy Monitoring Officer provided the following update: • Peter Brown (Head of Regulatory and Housing Services) had been appointed as Interim Monitoring Officer until the new Head of Law and Governance and Monitoring Officer, who was appointed by Council on 26 January, 2023, started in post. • Discussions were ongoing, nationally, in respect of introducing a standard rate across Wales for declaring the receipt of gifts and hospitality. • The Chair of Standards, along with the Deputy Monitoring Officer, would attend a 6 monthly meeting with Group Leaders on 2 February, 2023.
The Chair, Clive Wolfendale had attended a Llanfair Talhaiarn Community Council Meeting on 18 October 2022 and highlighted the following: • The website required updating. • No public were present at the meeting. • Declarations of interest was included as an agenda item, however, no declarations were made. • The meeting had been chaired in a professional manner. • The meeting was conducted mostly through the medium of Welsh, however no translation facilities were provided. Some Councillors did not speak Welsh and help and support was provided to them to understand and participate in the meeting. The following was discussed: • Independent Member attendance at Town and Community Councils would re-commence in the near future. • It was queried whether Town and Community Councils were required to record their meetings, as detailed minutes were not always produced. - In response, the Deputy Monitoring Officer advised that verbatim minutes were not required and that there was only a requirement to record decisions within minutes. - Recording of meetings was not a requirement, especially as most Town and Community Councils were now held in person and not virtually. - Press and public should be able to attend meetings. - It was not always possible for Town and Community Councils to hold hybrid meetings due to the cost implications, such as internet and IT equipment.
The Chair, Clive Wolfendale, had attended a virtual meeting of the National Standards Forum on 27 January, 2023, where he was elected as Chair. The Forum had been established as a result of a recommendation of the Independent Review of the Ethical Standards Framework in Wales (Penn Review). Items discussed during the Forum included the following: • An update on the findings of the Penn review. • The use of local resolutions in respect of complaints. • Changes to the Adjudication Panel for Wales. • The importance of engagement with Town and Community Councils. • The appropriateness of sanctions issued by Standards Committees. • Duties of political Group Leaders in respect of standards. • An update from the Ombudsman who advised that 2021/2022 had been the busiest year on record in respect of the number of complaints received. • The importance of all Elected Members undertaking Code of Conduct training. • Standards Committee Annual Reports. • Reference to training for Standards Committee members, which would be offered by the Welsh Local Government Association. The following was discussed: • It was queried as to when Welsh Government’s response to the Penn Review consultation would be published. - In response, the Chair advised that he would make some enquiries. • Concern was raised in respect of Town and Community Councils not having the resources to produce an Annual Report. - In response, the Chair advised that Town and Community Councils would not be required to produce an Annual Report. - Conwy County Borough Council would produce an Annual Report.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED- That the Councillors’ Register of Interests be approved by the Standards Committee.
The Councillors’ Register of Interests was presented for the inspection of the Standards Committee. It was queried as to whether Members were required to disclose their home address within the Register of Interests. - The Deputy Monitoring Officer advised that information could be withheld if it could be damaging to an individual. - Information would be disclosed to Conwy County Borough Council (CCBC) but would not be made public. - In light of instances of violence, it was being considered that Members’ addresses should not be made public. - It was suggested that the removal of the requirement to disclose Member addresses could also lead to Members not having to disclose other information such as membership of clubs. - It was felt that Members should be open and transparent. - If a Member lived in the vicinity of a planning application they would be required to declare an interest. RESOLVED- That the Councillors’ Register of Interests be approved by the Standards Committee.
Y penderfyniad fel y'i cofnodwyd
RESOLVED- That the register of Gifts and Hospitality be signed by the Chairman of the Standards Committee. Note: Councillor Louise Emery declared an interest in the above item, as she was an Elected Member and had submitted her Register of Gifts and Hospitality. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, Councillor Emery was able to speak and vote on the matter.
The Councillors’ Register of Gifts and Hospitality was presented for the inspection of the Standards Committee. It was queried as to whether gifts and hospitality were required to be declared at meetings. - In response, the Deputy Monitoring Officer advised that if a gift or hospitality had been included within the register, there was no need to declare the interest at a meeting. RESOLVED- That the register of Gifts and Hospitality be signed by the Chairman of the Standards Committee. Note: Councillor Louise Emery declared an interest in the above item, as she was an Elected Member and had submitted her Register of Gifts and Hospitality. As the interest was not considered prejudicial, Councillor Emery was able to speak and vote on the matter.
That the Public and Press be excluded from the meeting under the provisions of Section 100A of the above Act during consideration of the following items as it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 18a Part 4 of Schedule 12A to the Act and that in all the relevant circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.
Rhaid i gynghorwyr ddweud pan fydd ganddyn nhw gysylltiad personol â rhywbeth sy'n cael ei drafod, fel swydd, eiddo neu aelod o'r teulu. Mae buddiant sy'n rhagfarnu yn ddigon cryf i'r cynghorydd adael yr ystafell fel arfer a pheidio â chymryd rhan.
Caiff datganiadau eu darllen o'r cofnodion unwaith y byddan nhw wedi'u cyhoeddi.
Yn rhestru cynghorwyr presennol y cyngor yn unig. Nid yw aelodau cyfetholedig, swyddogion a chyn-gynghorwyr yn cael eu dangos.