Issue - meetings

(a)       That the voluntary register set up in 1997 be discontinued;

(b)       That the Committee recommends to Council that the voluntary register discontinues; and

(c)        That the Monitoring Officer issues an advice note about what was covered by the requirement in the statutory code with respect to registration of membership of societies and bodies.

The Head of Legal and Democratic Services introduced a report to propose discontinuing the locally adopted requirement to voluntarily register membership of any organisation not open to the public without formal membership.  He provided background information and advised that the Council currently had two requirements to register.  Compliance with the statutory code of conduct was mandatory, well publicised, and had a statutorily imposed enforcement regime.  The local register was voluntary and its existence not well known.

                        The Head of Legal and Democratic Services referred to the requirements of the statutory code and advised that it was likely to cover membership of organisations such as the Masons and all of the bodies that were intended to be covered by the voluntary register.  He recommended to the Committee that the voluntary register be discontinued and that an advice note be sent to Members to clarify what was covered by the requirement in the statutory code with respect to registration of membership of societies and bodies.

                        Councillor H.J. McGuill proposed that the recommendation to discontinue the voluntary register be agreed.  This was seconded by Councillor A. Woolley and became the resolution of the Committee.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That the voluntary register set up in 1997 be discontinued;

(b)       That the Committee recommends to Council that the voluntary register discontinues; and

(c)        That the Monitoring Officer issues an advice note about what was covered by the requirement in the statutory code with respect to registration of membership of societies and bodies.