Meeting documents

Standards Committee
Monday, 6th November, 2006 7.30 pm

Date:
Monday, 6th November, 2006
Time:
7.30 p.m.
Place:
Front Committee Room at the Town Hall, Reigate
 

Attendance Details

Present:
Councillors Mrs. J.S. Bray, Mrs. F.D.M. Dixon, S.A. Kulka and R.S. Mantle.

Mrs. J. Paul - Independent Member
Mr. J. Broadbent - Independent Member (Chairman)
Also Present:
Councillor M.J. Selby
Min NoDescriptionResolution
Part I
10 MINUTES
RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 3rd July 2006 be approved as a correct record and signed.
11 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Mrs. J.A. Cook - Salfords and Sidlow Parish Council.
12 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
None.
13 LOCAL GOVERNMENT OMBUDSMAN'S ANNUAL LETTER AND REPORT 2005/06
RESOLVED that the Local Government Ombudsman's annual letter and report for 2005/06 be noted.
14 TRAINING: CONDUCT OF LOCAL HEARINGS
RESOLVED that training for Members of the Committee (and substitute Members) together with key officers on the conduct of local hearings be held on Monday, 27th November 2006 commencing at 6.00 p.m., with light refreshments available from 5.30 p.m.
15 SOUTH EAST INDEPENDENT MEMBERS' NETWORK
RESOLVED that Mrs. Paul be thanked for her helpful and informative report.
16 ETHICS AND PROBITY
RESOLVED that the presentation be received.
17 FUTURE MEETINGS
RESOLVED to note that meetings of the Committee are scheduled for 29th January 2007 and 12th March 2007.
18 ANY OTHER URGENT BUSINESS
None.
The meeting closed at 9.26 p.m.

Minute

Min NoMinute
13In accordance with the Committee's terms of reference, consideration was given to the Local Government's annual letter and report 2005/06 in respect of Reigate and Banstead.

During 2005/06, the Ombudsman had received 14 complaints against the Council compared with 23 in the previous year. Understandably, planning complaints remained the most numerous but the actual number had for 2005/06 been halved. The Ombudsman had commented that overall the number of complaints against the Council remained relatively small considering the large volume of decisions taken by the Authority. During the year, the Ombudsman had issued one formal report with a finding of maladministration resulting in injustice and this had been the subject of report to the Committee in March 2006. Appropriate action was being taken to improve the Council's response times to the Local Government Ombudsman.
15Further to the meeting of the Committee in March 2006 (Minute 17), Mrs. J. Paul (Independent Member and Vice-Chairman) reported on her attendance at the above Forum. At the Forum a presentation had been given by the County Secretary of West Sussex County Council and a summary of the main issues covered was reported to the Committee. Issues discussed at the Forum included the important role of Independent Members and the numbers serving on Standards Committees; the need for adequate resources to support Standards Committees and their work; the need to resolve complaints before formal action was necessary; the number of Independent Members who chaired Standards Committees; responsibility for the Audit role and the payment of expenses.
16Prior to the training referred to in Minute 15 above, the Head of Legal and Property Services (and Monitoring Officer) gave a presentation on Ethics and Probity with particular reference to the Members' Code of Conduct. As part of the presentation, a number of issues were discussed and individual Member questions answered.