Issue - meetings

To approve the Committee’s first draft of the Annual Report

RESOLVED:

(a)       That subject to the above amendments the draft annual report be approved; and

(b)       That the Committee recommends to the County Council the following two areas of training: social media and dispensations

The Monitoring Officer presented the report to approve the Committee’s first draft of the Annual Report.  He explained that the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 introduced a duty on Standards Committees to produce an annual report and specified some of the content that must be included. The first draft annual report was appended for approval.

During discussion it was agreed that the first sentence of paragraph 5, page 66, be amended to remove the words ‘county council’.

The Chair referred to the heading The Penn Review on page 68 and said there was a need to insert when the findings were published in July 2021.  She also drew attention to the recommendation at the end of Page 69, and suggested that the wording of the recommendation be amended to also include that Clerks be reminded about the process to seek dispensations.

The Chair drew attention to the requirement in the Annual Report to include the Committee’s assessment of the extent to which leaders of political groups on the

Council had complied with their duties under section 52A(1) during the financial year.  The Chair gave an overview of the Committee’s assessment of the compliance of Group Leaders with the duty to promote good behaviour by their group Members based on reports from the Group Leaders themselves, as per the agreed process.  She asked members to confirm if they were satisfied that Group Leaders had complied with their duty.  When put to the vote this was agreed.  Following further discussion around the outcomes of the process the Chair proposed that the Committee recommends to the County Council the following two areas of training: social media and dispensations.  The proposal was moved by Gill Murgatroyd and seconded by Mark Morgan and when put to the vote was agreed.

RESOLVED:

(a)       That subject to the above amendments the draft annual report be approved; and

(b)       That the Committee recommends to the County Council the following two areas of training: social media and dispensations