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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 Councillor Chris Williams be granted dispensation to speak in relation to the second homes council tax premium and on matters related to tourism until the end of the Council term (10.05.2024).
RESOLVED That the Committee consider the contents of the Procedure Rules and approve a final version for adoption
RESOLVED That the Committee note the details as set out in the report.
RESOLVED (a) That Members of the Committee consider and note the information provided in respect of the local code of conduct complaints/concerns April 2023 – November 2023, with it recommended that this item be brought back next year. (b) The report is circulated to members of the County Council and the Town and Community Councils in Pembrokeshire That the Committee give thanks to Democratic Services and Monitoring Officers for the report
RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be accepted, subject to the following addition: The Standards Committee Hearing Procedure Rules be reviewed in December 2024.
There were no declarations of interest received.
Community Councillor David Edwards proposed that the Minutes of the Meeting held on 18 September 2023 be subject to the following correction on page 14 on the agenda pack: · At the end of the third paragraph it should state ‘him’ not ‘it’ approved as a correct record. This was seconded by Mr Nick Watt. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, as carried. RESOLVED That the Minutes of the Meeting held on the 18 September 2023 be approved as a correct record subject to the following correction on page 14 on the agenda pack: At the end of the third paragraph it should state ‘him’ not ‘it’
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That Councillor Chris Williams be granted dispensation to speak in relation to the second homes council tax premium and on matters related to tourism until the end of the Council term (10.05.2024).
The Committee considered an application by Councillor Chris Williams for dispensation to speak on matters relating to the second-home council tax and matter relating to tourism. On invitation of the Chair, Councillor Williams addressed the Committee in support of his application; and to explain the purpose of his application. Councillor Williams stated that he managed 40 properties as the caretaker and these properties were owned by people outside of Pembrokeshire. He managed them for insurance reasons to keep up maintenance during the winter. Councillor Williams’ in-laws had one property which was rented out for nine months of the year and his parents had an annex that was rented out too. In response to the Chair, Councillor Williams clarified that he had an annex too that was rented out but it was not at the time of the meeting as his son had moved back into the house and was occupying it. His neigbour was going through the process of buying Councillor Williams’ annex off him. Mr Nick Watt sought clarification on why Councillor Williams felt he should be granted a dispensation to vote. Councillor Williams stated that he was born in Saundersfoot and understood the impact tourism had in the area especially on employment. He stated that he felt that he would give a balanced view and people with houses in the area had contacted him about the proposed 200% second home tax rate increase. Events were organized in his area to try and bring tourists in during the off season. Councillor Guy Woodham expressed his concern with Councillor Williams’ involvement in second homes as he was a care taker of second homes as he was making an income from them. Councillor Williams said that 75-80% of his work as a care taker for properties was for local residents. In response to Councillor Woodham, Councillor Williams confirmed that he did not receive any money from his parents renting out their annex. Community Councillor Edwards noted that from a public perspective, someone who made a financial income from 40 second homes would have a biased view when voting on second home council tax rates. Councillor Williams stated that he wanted to represent his residents and he felt that we would give a balanced view as he listened to both sides of the argument. He noted that more houses needed to be built and tourism was key to Saundersfoot. The Chair stated that 27% of properties in Saundersfoot were second homes or holiday lets. Councillor Williams stated that there were roughly 390-400 holiday homes in Saunderfoot, this included flats but not caravans. Councillor Chris Williams left the meeting so the Committee could discuss his application. Mr Nick Watt stated that as Councillor Williams managed 10% of Saundersfoot’s holiday homes this would look biased with voting. Community Councillor Edwards concurred with this. Councillor Woodham added that in a normal meeting Councillor Williams would need to declare a prejudicial interest on this so he would not be comfortable granting dispensation to vote. Ms Sian Vaughan stated that she felt that his job conflicted with his ability to vote unbiased. Councillor Vanessa Thomas stated that she felt Councillor Williams implied predetermination with how he would vote. Community Councillor Sarah Snow concurred with this. Moved by Mr Nick Watt; Seconded by Community Councillor David Edwards. For the Motion – Mr Nick Watt, Community Councillor David Edwards, Councillor Vanessa Thomas, Councillor Guy Woodham, Ms Corinna Kershaw, Ms Sian Vaughan, Ms Suzanne Lewis and Community Councillor Sarah Snow [8] There were no votes against or abstentions RESOLVED That Councillor Chris Williams be granted dispensation to speak in relation to the second homes council tax premium and on matters related to tourism until the end of the Council term (10.05.2024).
There were no urgent applications for dispensation.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the Committee consider the contents of the Procedure Rules and approve a final version for adoption
The Legal Services Manager presented the amended Standards Committee Hearing Procedure Rules to the Committee following the workshop in October 2023. She expressed her gratitude to Mr Nick Watt and Ms Suzanne Lewis for their additional work on this. Mr Nick Watt commended the work done by the Legal Services Manager and noted that the wording was easier to understand than the first version. In response to Councillor Woodham, the Legal Services Manager confirmed that the Committee could decide to review the Procedure Rules annually. Ms Corinna Kershaw suggested reviewing them after the Committee has a hearing. This could be done in an extraordinary meeting. The Legal Services Manager clarified that after the Procedure Rules have been approved by the Committee, they will go to Full Council to be added into the constitution. Mr Nick Watt noted that Full Council could only note the Procedure Rules as the Committee was independent. Moved by Mr Nick Watt; Seconded by Community Councillor David Edwards. For the Motion – Mr Nick Watt, Community Councillor David Edwards, Councillor Vanessa Thomas, Councillor Guy Woodham, Ms Corinna Kershaw, Ms Sian Vaughan, Ms Suzanne Lewis and Community Councillor Sarah Snow [8] There were no votes against or abstentions RESOLVED That the Committee consider the contents of the Procedure Rules and approve a final version for adoption
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the Committee note the details as set out in the report.
The Legal Services Manager presented the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales Annual Letter 2022/23 to the Committee and highlighted that Appendices E and F were complaints made regarding the Code of Conduct. Mr Nick Watt queried what could be done to help Town and Community Councils that are repeatedly reported for breaching the Code of Conduct. The Chair noted that the Monitoring Officer was limited by what she was able to do when Town and Community Councillors are reported for possible Code of Conduct breeches compared to County Councillors. It was easier to get Community Councils compared to Town Councils because Town Councils had a wider remit which was difficult to manage. The Legal Services Manager added that the Monitoring Officers could not get involved with procedural or legal matters at the Town/Community Council level. Councillor Woodham said that the Town and Community Councils should be reviewing Code of Conducts referrals to the Ombudsman as a learning experience. The Legal Services Manager confirmed that these complaints went to Governance and Audit Committee to be scrutinised. Community Councillor Edwards noted that the Clerks at Town and Community Councils were the default Monitoring Officers and queried if extra support should be given to them. He added that Town Councils had a lot more members than Community Councils and they would often faction themselves. The Chair stated that the Monitoring Officer could only encourage the Clerks to use the resources available but it was not mandatory to utilise them. She suggested that it could be useful to bring the Clerks together to share issues they faced and this could be included in Code of Conduct training. Community Councillor Edwards said that he attended online evening courses and no Town Councillors would attend them. Mr Nick Watt noted that in the last case referred to the Standards Committee, they did not observe how the Town Council dealt with possible Code of Conduct breaches. The Chair stated that there were 77 Town and Community Councils in Pembrokeshire for the Monitoring Officer to manage. The Legal Services Manager informed the Committee that the Monitoring Officers held a training session for Town and Community Councillors in Summer 2023 but it was not well attended. Mr Nick Watt suggested that at the next Standards Committee Hearing, the training session statistics for the relevant Town/Community Council should be shared with the Committee to see if they attended them. Moved by Mr Nick Watt; Seconded by Community Councillor David Edwards. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, as carried. RESOLVED That the Committee note the details as set out in the report.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED (a) That Members of the Committee consider and note the information provided in respect of the local code of conduct complaints/concerns April 2023 – November 2023, with it recommended that this item be brought back next year. (b) The report is circulated to members of the County Council and the Town and Community Councils in Pembrokeshire That the Committee give thanks to Democratic Services and Monitoring Officers for the report
The Legal Services Manger presented the Overview of Local Code of Conduct Complaints/Concerns. Councillor Woodham queried if the pattern on what was being reported was different instead of what was being reported as there was an increase in complaints about bullying and harassment allegations. The Chair expressed her concern of the amount of bullying/harassment allegations in a six month period. Community Councillor Edwards stated that the report should be shared with the County Council and Town and Community Councils. Mr Nick Watt and Ms Corinna Kershaw as the information was insightful of the behaviour at the different Councils. Moved by Community Councillor David Edwards; Seconded by Councillor Vanessa Thomas. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, as carried. RESOLVED (a) That Members of the Committee consider and note the information provided in respect of the local code of conduct complaints/concerns April 2023 – November 2023, with it recommended that this item be brought back next year. (b) The report is circulated to members of the County Council and the Town and Community Councils in Pembrokeshire That the Committee give thanks to Democratic Services and Monitoring Officers for the report
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be accepted, subject to the following addition: The Standards Committee Hearing Procedure Rules be reviewed in December 2024.
Moved by Councillor Vanessa Thomas; Seconded by Councillor Guy Woodham. The vote, undertaken by way of a show of hands, as carried. RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be accepted, subject to the following addition: The Standards Committee Hearing Procedure Rules be reviewed in December 2024.
26th February 2024 at 2pm
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.
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