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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 15 March 2022 be signed as a correct record.
RESOLVED – That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Standards Committee held on 21 June 2022 be signed as a correct record.
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
RESOLVED (i) That the Chair and Vice Chair have a meeting with Group Leaders in September to discuss the new requirements under the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 regarding training and reporting on the ethical behaviour duty. (ii) That the draft Guidance in relation to the duty of Group Leaders to promote ethical behaviour be noted.
RESOLVED – That all Standards Committee Meetings be held on a Tuesday at 3.00pm (*unless otherwise stated) on the following dates, and that they remain fully virtual on Zoom: 6 September 2022 6 December 2022 7 March 2023 20 June 2023
Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Councillor I David Bithell, MBE and Steve Tilston.
The Minutes of the Meetings held on 15 March 2022 and 21 June 2022 were submitted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Standards Committee held on 15 March 2022 be signed as a correct record.
RESOLVED – That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Standards Committee held on 15 March 2022 be signed as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Standards Committee held on 21 June 2022 be signed as a correct record.
RESOLVED – That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Standards Committee held on 21 June 2022 be signed as a correct record.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
The Monitoring Officer submitted a report (COGC/62/22) to provide an update on the operation of the Policy and any changes in practice introduced as a result of concerns raised under the Policy. The Deputy Monitoring Officer presented the report and highlighted the main points contained within it. A discussion ensued and the following points were noted: · Confirmation that there were no significant concerns to report. · A recent survey of Monitoring Officers across Wales identified the number of whistleblowing concerns which had been reported, and it was noted that the number of reports made by Wrexham were in line with the other Authorities. · Concern that some whistleblowing reports were made anonymously which sometimes made it difficult to investigate. RESOLVED – That the report be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED (i) That the Chair and Vice Chair have a meeting with Group Leaders in September to discuss the new requirements under the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 regarding training and reporting on the ethical behaviour duty. (ii) That the draft Guidance in relation to the duty of Group Leaders to promote ethical behaviour be noted.
The Chief Officer Governance & Customer submitted a report (COGC/63/22) to raise awareness of the changes under the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 including the new duties on Group Leaders and Standards Committee. The Chief Officer presented the report and highlighted the main topics for debate. A discussion ensued and the following points were highlighted: · Members were requested to consider how they may wish to implement the new requirements, and it was suggested that they could meet with political group leaders to discuss how they could engage with the Committee. · Confirmation that training on the Code of Conduct was provided to Members, and if concerns about behaviour was ever brought to the attention of the Monitoring Officer then they would be guided towards the Code of Conduct. · Confirmation that a draft report template for reporting on compliance to the Committee could be circulated in advance of the Meetings with Group Leaders. RESOLVED (i) That the Chair and Vice Chair have a meeting with Group Leaders in September to discuss the new requirements under the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 regarding training and reporting on the ethical behaviour duty. (ii) That the draft Guidance in relation to the duty of Group Leaders to promote ethical behaviour be noted.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED – That all Standards Committee Meetings be held on a Tuesday at 3.00pm (*unless otherwise stated) on the following dates, and that they remain fully virtual on Zoom: 6 September 2022 6 December 2022 7 March 2023 20 June 2023
In accordance with The Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011 and the decision taken by Annual Council on 25 May 2022, the Committee considered the dates and times of Meetings. RESOLVED – That all Standards Committee Meetings be held on a Tuesday at 3.00pm (*unless otherwise stated) on the following dates, and that they remain fully virtual on Zoom: 6 September 2022 6 December 2022 7 March 2023 20 June 2023
Agenda Item 9 - The business comprises a matter referred to the Standards Committee pursuant to section 70(4) or (5) or section 71(2) or (4) of the Local Government Act 2000, the requirement to publish or otherwise make available to the public agendas for, records of, or information connected to this business under sections 100B to 100D Local Government Act 1972 do not apply pursuant to Regulation 26(2A)(a) Standards Committees (Wales) Regulations 2001. Agenda Item 10 - Not for publication by virtue of Paragraph 12 of Part 4 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended). The Proper Officer has determined in considering this report that paragraph 12 should apply. Her view on the public interest test was that to make this information public would disclose personal data relating to an individual in contravention of the principles of the Data Protection Act. Because of this and since there did not appear to be an overwhelming public interest requiring the disclosure of personal data she felt that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. It is, therefore, recommended that the press and public be excluded from the Meeting during consideration of the following items as it is likely that, if they were present, there would be disclosure to them of exempt information.
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.
The council hasn't recorded attendance for this meeting.
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