Agenda item
Report back from the North Wales Standards Committees Forum
To receive a verbal update from the Chair and Vice-Chair from the meeting which took place at Flintshire County Council on 29 April 2014.
Decision:
(a) That the update be received;
(b) That an email be sent to the Committee members when a date has been confirmed for training on hearings, to askif they would like transport to the training arranging for them.
Minutes:
The Chair provided a verbal update on the North Wales Standards Committee Forum meeting that had been held at Flintshire County Council on 29 April 2014. It had been an opportunity for other Standards Committee members in North Wales to share ideas and discuss suggestions for issues to be considered by all of the Standards Committees in North Wales.
She explained that some of the issues that had been discussed were as follows:-
- some Standards Committees were more integrated in the workings of their Council
- Chairs and members of the Committees had been involved in training sessions for Town and Community Councils in their areas
- appraisals of individual Standards Committee members in some Councils had been undertaken by the Chair of the Committee who had in turn been appraised by the Monitoring Officer
Councillor David Cox felt that the co-opted members of the Standards Committee were volunteers who were not paid for their role and should therefore not be subject to an appraisal process. The Democracy & Governance Manager explained that Elected Members did not have appraisals but they could discuss any training needs with an experienced Councillor. He added that officers were also subject to appraisals which included discussing training needs and suggested that co-opted members of the Committee could discuss any training requirements with the Chair of the Committee.
The Chair provided details of the form that the Forum meeting had taken and explained that the first meeting held in Wrexham in December 2013 had included a session on training Town and Community Councils, which had been welcomed by those in attendance. The Head of Legal and Democratic Services provided details of the training that he had provided. The Chair indicated that a training session on hearings was to be arranged, which would be held in Anglesey and the Head of Legal and Democratic Services advised that once a date had been agreed, he would email the committee members to advise them and to ask whether they would like transport arranging for them to attend. Councillor Hilary McGuill asked if it would be possible for the training to be recorded for those who were unable to attend. The Head of Legal and Democratic Services confirmed that he would make enquiries as to whether this could be undertaken.
The Head of Legal and Democratic Services advised that the Vice-Chairman had also attended the Forum, and even though he was unable to attend this meeting, he had provided feedback of his experience of the meeting which the Head of Legal and Democratic Services shared with the Committee. This included his observation that Flintshire County Council Standards Committee was the most proactive of all North Wales Standards committees and met most often. He had also commented on training with Town & Community Councils and the suggestion that the new Ombudsman be invited to attend a training session at a future Forum meeting.
Councillor McGuill asked if the issue of how other Standards Committees dealt with requests for dispensation, in particular those relating to Section 106 obligations on planning applications, could be raised at a future meeting of the Forum.
RESOLVED:
(a) That the update be received;
(b) That an email be sent to the Committee members when a date has been confirmed for training on hearings, to askif they would like transport to the training arranging for them.