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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 Standards Committee Annual Report be approved for submission to Council.
RESOLVED That the update in respect of the Overview of Ombudsman Code of Conduct Cases from 1 March 2026 to 3 July 2026 be noted.
RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be noted and that consideration be given to establishing a working group to review future Code of Conduct training requirements.
Apologies for absence were received from Ms Moira Saunders, Mr David Parsons and Councillor Viv Stoddart.
There were no declarations of interest received.
The Committee considered the Minutes of the meeting held on 12 May 2026. The Chair proposed that references to the ‘Head of Law and Governance’ title throughout the Minutes be amended to the ‘Monitoring Officer’, to better reflect her role in relation to the Standards Committee business. Councillor David Edwards Moved that the Minutes be approved as amended; Seconded by Councillor Vanessa Thomas. The vote, by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Minutes of the Meetings held on 12 May 2026 be approved as a correct record, subject to the above change. The Committee considered the Minutes of the Hearing held on 26 May 2026. Councillor David Edwards advised that he had been present at the meeting prior to declaring an interest and leaving the hearing and requested that his attendance be reflected in the Minutes. Ms Maggie Hughes confirmed that the Welsh version was accurate and drew attention to duplicated text within the English version. The Democratic Services & Scrutiny Officer advised that the duplication had already been corrected and that no substantive changes had been made. Ms Maggie Hughes Moved that the Minutes be approved as amended; Seconded by Mr Nadeem Ahmad. The vote, by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Minutes of the Meetings held on 26 May 2026 be approved as a correct record, subject to the above changes.
No urgent applications for dispensation were received.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the Standards Committee Annual Report be approved for submission to Council.
The Committee considered the Annual Report of the Standards Committee, presented for approval prior to its submission to County Council. The report summarised the work of the Committee during the 2025/26 municipal year and outlined its statutory responsibilities and activities. The Monitoring Officer advised that, due to Council deadlines, the report had already been published for consideration by Council and that Members' comments received in advance of the meeting had been incorporated. It was noted that any further amendments agreed by the Committee would need to be reported verbally to Council however no further amendments were proposed. Councillor David Edwards Moved the recommendation; Seconded by Mr Nadeem Ahmad. The vote, by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Standards Committee Annual Report be approved for submission to Council.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the update in respect of the Overview of Ombudsman Code of Conduct Cases from 1 March 2026 to 3 July 2026 be noted.
The Committee considered a report providing an overview of Ombudsman Code of Conduct cases. The report was presented to assist Members in understanding recent complaints, emerging themes and the Ombudsman's approach to determining whether investigations should be undertaken. The Monitoring Officer advised that the report was a standing item and was intended to provide useful guidance on the decision-making approach adopted by the Ombudsman. It was noted that, whilst the summaries provided a useful overview, the detailed circumstances of each case were often significant when determining outcomes. Ms Maggie Hughes Moved the recommendation; Seconded by Councillor Vanessa Thomas. The vote, by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the update in respect of the Overview of Ombudsman Code of Conduct Cases from 1 March 2026 to 3 July 2026 be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be noted and that consideration be given to establishing a working group to review future Code of Conduct training requirements.
The Committee considered the Forward Work Programme which outlined the upcoming items between July 2026 to December 2026. The Monitoring Officer proposed that a working group be established following the October meeting to consider the Committee's approach to Member Code of Conduct training in advance of the May 2027 local government elections. The Chair supported the proposal, commenting on the value of the training provided following previous elections. During discussion, Councillor David Edwards noted that both his term of office and that of the Chair would conclude around the time of the 2027 elections and queried future membership arrangements. The Monitoring Officer stated that she would welcome reflections from existing Committee Members to assist in shaping future training priorities. The Chair confirmed that he intended to provide observations arising from his experience of serving on the Committee and Members expressed support for the establishment of a working group. Mr Nadeem Ahmad Moved the recommendation; Seconded by Ms Maggie Hughes. The vote, by way of show of hands, was carried. RESOLVED That the Forward Work Programme be noted and that consideration be given to establishing a working group to review future Code of Conduct training requirements.
The Chair confirmed that the next meeting would take place on 13 October 2026 at 10.00am.
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