Meeting documents

Standards Committee
Wednesday, 23rd September, 2009 7.30 pm

Date:
Wednesday, 23rd September, 2009
Time:
7.30 pm
Place:
New Council Chamber, Town Hall, Reigate
 

Attendance Details

Present:
Mr. J. Broadbent (Chairman) (Independent Member), Councillors Mrs. F.D.M. Dixon and R.C. Newstead (Reigate and Banstead Borough Council), Mr. R. Bethell and Ms. F. Stimpson (Horley Town Council), Mr. P. Allen and Dr. C. Vaughan (Independent Members).
Also Present:
None
Substitutes:
M.A. Brunt
Min NoDescriptionResolution
Part I
13 MINUTES
RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 24th June 2009 be approved as a correct record and signed.
14 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Reigate and Banstead Borough Council: Councillors Mrs. J.S. Bray, S.A. Kulka and Mrs. R.S. Turner (Substitued by Councillor M.A. Brunt)

Salfords and Sidlow Parish Council: Mrs. J.A. Cook
15 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
None
16 STANDARDS SUB-COMMITTEES
RECOMMENDED that:

(i) the number of independent members serving on the Standards Committee be increased from 4 to 5 until such time as a vacancy in this position occurs, at which point, the independent member representation be immediately reduced back to 4 and this temporary increase to the number of independent members required to serve on the Committee as set out in the Constitution be noted; and
(ii) subject to (i) above, Mrs. Andrea Armstrong and Mrs. Helen Burr be appointed, with immediate effect, as independent members to serve on the Standards Committee.

RESOLVED that in view of recommendation (ii) above, Applicant ST09/04 be not interviewed.
17 CODE OF CORPORATE GOVERNANCE
RESOLVED that the Executive be informed that, so far as the Standards Committee is concerned, the review document is a considered a thorough, good piece of work.
18 LOCAL GOVERNMENT OMBUDSMAN: ANNUAL REPORT 2008/09
RESOLVED that the Local Government Ombudsman's annual review letter for 2008/09 be received and noted.
19 WORK PROGRAMME 2009/10
RESOLVED that:

(i) the work programme 2009/10 be developed to ensure that, where appropriate, it accords with the duties and responsibilities of the Committee as set out in its Terms of Reference and the revised version be submitted to the next meeting; and
(ii) in view of the planned business for the Committee on 11th November 2009, the start time be brought forward to 7 p.m.
20 ANY OTHER URGENT BUSINESS
None
The meeting closed at 8.14 p.m.

Minute

Min NoMinute
16The Committee received the Minutes of Standards Sub-Committees held on 25th August and 8th September 2009.

In relation to the meeting on 8th September 2009 (Minute 5) it was reported that Members' intention had been to recommend the immediate appointment of two new independent members rather than one with the other held on a reserve list until a vacancy occurred.

The immediate appointment of two independent members was favoured because this approach:
• would avoid a further costly recruitment process;
• was in recognition of the suitability of applicants interviewed; and
• importantly, was suggested in the knowledge that a further independent member vacancy on the Standards Committee was a possibility in the near future.
17The Committee received a report on a review of compliance with the Code of Corporate Governance and was asked to submit any comments on it to the Executive.

The report set out relevant statutory powers, information on good governance in local government, details of the annual review, options open to the Committee, legal, financial and equality implications and policy framework considerations. A similar report was being submitted to the Council's Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

A review document was set out as an Annex to the report together with an action plan in respect of areas for further attention.
18The Committee received the Local Government Ombudsman's annual report (now renamed annual review) for 2008/09. The review was split into two sections. The first concerned complaints about the Council and the second provided a general update on LGO developments.

Changes in the way the LGO operated made a direct comparison between 2008/09 and 2007/08 statistics difficult. However, it appeared that the overall level of complaints against the Council was down.

For 2008/09, there had been 12 complaints against the Council in respect of the following services:
Planning/Building Control: 8
Housing: 3
Land: 1

During the year there had been no findings of maladministration or local settlements.

The Council's response times on LGO enquiries was well within the prescribed target.
19The Committee received and discussed its work programme for the remainder of 2009/10, in the context of related extracts (Terms of Reference etc.) from the Constitution, as circulated with the agenda.