Issue - meetings

That the proposed changed to the guidance be welcomed.

The Monitoring Officer presented the report and explained that the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW) published guidance for Councillors on how to interpret the Code of Conduct.  The guidance was applicable to County Councillors and also covered Fire Authorities and National Parks.

The Ombudsman had published a consultation on proposed revisions to the guidance, and a link to the draft revisions was included in the report.

In addition, the PSOW published separate guidance for Town and Community Councillors, a link of which was also included in the report.

The changes to both sets of guidance did not fundamentally alter current advice on the meaning of the Code.  The changes sought to improve layout, improve clarity and to provide recent examples of the outcome of real life cases.

The principle changes were:

·         Ombudsman had expanded the explanation of the 2 stage test applied to decide whether to investigate a complaint;

·         Slightly clearer and more emphatic guidance on freedom of speech as it effected the requirement to treat people with respect, the prohibition on bullying and disrepute; and

·         The guidance on what to do if one had a personal interest was expanded and more explicit.

RESOLVED:

That the proposed changed to the guidance be welcomed.