Wrthi'n llwytho
Does dim crynodeb o'r cyfarfod hwn eto. Caiff un ei ysgrifennu pan fydd y cyngor yn cyhoeddi'r cofnodion. Mae'r agenda a'r papurau isod.
Apologies for absence were received from Martin Veale, Co-optee and Councillor Lisa Mytton.
D Jones advised she has been appointed to be member of Dwr Cwmru. C Kennedy advised there was no conflict and therefore a declaration of interest was not required. Agreed that Democratic Services Officer will send a Register of Interest form for D Jones to complete in respect of this appointment. No other declarations of interest were made.
A Member of the Committee sought clarity on where the minutes of Standards Meetings are approved. C Kennedy advised that the minutes are approved at Full Council and brought to Standards Committee for information. It was agreed that the Minutes of the Standards Committee held on 9th December 2023 are accepted as a true record and be received for information.
C Kennedy advised that an amended constitution had been produced and taken to Full Council in January 2023, the decision taken was to defer the item and therefore the amended constitution had not been considered or adopted by Council. A new proposal for consideration will need to be produced, but given the comments made at the January 2023 Full Council meeting it was felt this will likely take some time. Committee were also advised that parts of the constitution needed to be done (Whistleblowing as it contained out of date legislation and phone numbers; and the scheme of delegation specifically around environmental and trading standards officers to allow officers to carry out their work). It was agreed that following C Kennedy, S Jones and A Taylor meeting and agreeing a way forward, that an update would be provided to the next Standards Committee. The Chair clarified that whilst the new constitution hadn’t been approved, the Standards Committee were working with the old constitution save the whistleblowing and scheme of delegation changes. Further questions of clarity were sought on the constitution and answered in detail by C Kennedy.
C Kennedy presented the Leaders duty to promote compliance report to Committee and provided further explanation on the template and how it will fit in with the Panel’s Annual Report. The Chair explained what he and the Vice Chair discussed when they met with the Councillor G Thomas, Leader of the Council and Councillor D Roberts, Leader of the Opposition. Particular emphasis was made on processes, intent, aims, expectations and standards set by the Panel. Following this meeting an invitation was extended to and accepted by the Chair and Vice Chair to attend Full Council in April 2023 to introduce the Panel, what is expected and to demystify the role of the Standards Committee. The following points were raised by Members and answered in detail by C Kennedy. · The use of wording ‘weaknesses’ in the template, it was thought ‘development issues’ a better choice of words. · Expected timescales. · Support for Panel Members in carrying out their role on Standards Committee. Further clarity was provided on how the personal development plans for Councillors will work and how they will feed into the annual report, and also on the role of Councillors sitting on the Standards Committee. The Chair advised Committee the next meeting with Leaders was planned for May 2023. The progress that has been made was noted.
The Annual Report was discussed and an update provided by C Kennedy as part of the previous item ‘Leaders duty to promote compliance.
The Chair updated Committee with the details of the Standards National Forum that he attended in January 2023 including: · Constitution · Terms of Reference · Next Meeting Date – April 2023 · Promoting the Merthyr Tydfil Standards Committee C Kennedy provided Committee with details on the Monitoring Officers Group that she recently attended, which particularly focussed on an All Wales standardised policy on gifts and hospitality. Detailed discussion ensued on this matter and it was agreed that C Kennedy would bring a report back to the next Standards Committee.
C Kennedy advised no training updates were available at the moment, but expected further information to be received following the National Standards Forum meetings.
The Chair advised Committee that Anne Morgan, Co-optee had resigned from her position on the Standards Committee. Both the Chair and the Monitoring Officer had written to Anne to thank her for her service to the Standards Committee and to wish her well for the future. C Kennedy advised the recruitment process for her replacement would be looked at before the next meeting. The Chair also advised that an email had been received from a member of the public complaining that the Standards Committee Meetings were not broadcast. Detailed discussion took place around facilitating hybrid meetings in the future and the technical difficulties that this caused. It was agreed that C Kennedy and Democratic Services would identify whether this is possible for future Standard Committee Meetings.
It was agreed that the date of the next meeting is Friday, 16th June 2023 at 2.00 p.m.
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.