Issue - meetings

(a)      That the draft agenda for the next Ethical Liaison Meeting be agreed.

(b)      That the final agenda be agreed by the Chief Officer Governance in consultation with the parties to the meeting.

            The Chair introduced the report which sought suggestions for agenda items for discussion at the next Ethical Liaison Meeting between the Chair, Vice Chair and Senior Councillors. The Chair referenced the statutory and non-statutory guidance for principal Councils in Wales, which had been recently revised by the Minister of Finance and Local Government. The sections which related to Standards Committees, especially the guidance relating to Group Leaders and Standards Committee duties, were also highlighted. Point 6.4 referred to the Standards Committee meeting with Group Leaders at the beginning of each Council year to agree a number of issues and confirm the frequency of meetings with political Group Leaders throughout the year. The Chair outlined the duties covered by this guidance and said that although the Committee had met with individual group leaders separately when looking at their annual reports, that this was not conducted at the start of each council year and that this had to be borne in mind.

            The Monitoring Officer presented the report and suggested that the meeting should discuss:

1.    Feedback on the first annual report process

2.    The request for training from one of the group leaders on respectful communication on social media but the Monitoring Officer felt that it should be broader to include all communications. That would need to encompass freedom of political expression which underpinned what was acceptable under the Code, and a greater understanding of the roles of Councillors and Officers. The WLGA offers training and the council might wish to emulate work which was being undertaken in a neighbouring authority.

3.    The Monitoring Officer then referred to the Ombudsman’s two stage test for enforcement action which tied into the discussions around what was or was not a breach of the Code. Occasionally the Ombudsman might decide that there was a breach of the Code but that no action was needed in the public interest. Such a finding was not to be regarded as an endorsement of the behaviour subject to the complaint.

            The Chair sought clarification of when the joint meeting with Group Leaders was likely to take place. The current practice was that a meeting would be arranged around March / April to consider the previous municipal year in preparation for the annual report for that year.    The Chair sought clarification that the whole committee should meet Group Leaders just before the start of the Council year. The Monitoring Officer confirmed that was correct.

The recommendation, as amended, was moved and seconded by Jacqueline Guest and Councillor Antony Wren.

RESOLVED:

(a)      That the draft agenda for the next Ethical Liaison Meeting be agreed.

(b)      That the final agenda be agreed by the Chief Officer Governance in consultation with the parties to the meeting.