Agenda item
DISPENSATIONS
Decision:
(a) That Councillor C.S. Carver be granted a dispensation for a period of 12 months ending 17 June 2013 enabling him to:
1. make written representations to and to request written information from Flintshire County Council as Local Planning Authority;
2. speak at and/or remain in the room during the debate:
- at any council or committee meetings of Flintshire County Council and/or Hawarden Community Council at which the press and/or public are entitled to be present; and
- which are considering matters pertaining to the planning application (including any subsequent appeal(s)) for land off Overlea Drive, Hawarden (or any application which in the opinion of the Monitoring Officer in consultation with the Chair of the Standards Committee is substantially the same) as shown on the plan attached to the dispensation.
(b) That under the terms of the dispensation Councillor C.S. Carver is not permitted to vote on nor exercise any council functions (whether executive or otherwise).
Minutes:
The Chairman explained that Councillor C.S. Carver was in attendance at the meeting as he had submitted an application for dispensation in relation to ‘land off Overlea Drive, Hawarden’ to enable him to correspond and discuss with officers, make representations and speak upon planning applications at Flintshire County Council and Hawarden Community Council.
The Chairman invited Councillor Carver to outline his application in more detail. Councillor Carver provided background information and explained that he had made previous requests for dispensation on the matter. He referred to the meeting of the Standards Committee held on 13 September 2010 and reported that he had received dispensation to speak and vote on the item at Hawarden Community Council and to make written representations on the item including to the Planning Committee. He also submitted a further request for dispensation which was considered at the meeting of the Committee held on 14 November 2011, as he was unclear if his existing dispensation was for single or multiple use. Following the meeting he had received a letter of dispensation from the Interim Monitoring Officer which he understood confirmed that dispensation had again been granted. However, in March 2012, when Councillor Carver sought further information from the Democracy and Governance Manager, he was advised that the dispensations granted in the minutes of the meetings of the Standards Committee held in September 2010 and November 2011 were not fully appropriate for the purpose intended by Councillor Carver.
The Monitoring Officer gave an overview of the circumstances when a Standards Committee may grant dispensations and advised on the specific grounds which were relevant to Councillor Carver’s application. He responded to the queries raised by members and provided further advice to assist the Committee in its decision making process.
Councillor Carver withdrew from the meeting whilst the Committee made their decision.
The Committee considered the application together with the additional oral explanations provided by Councillor Carver at the meeting and it was agreed that Councillor C.S. Carver be granted a dispensation for a period of 12 months ending 17 June 2013.
RESOLVED:
(a) That Councillor C.S. Carver be granted a dispensation for a period of 12 months ending 17 June 2013 enabling him to:
1. make written representations to and to request written information from Flintshire County Council as Local Planning Authority;
2. speak at and/or remain in the room during the debate:
- at any council or committee meetings of Flintshire County Council and/or Hawarden Community Council at which the press and/or public are entitled to be present; and
- which are considering matters pertaining to the planning application (including any subsequent appeal(s)) for land off Overlea Drive, Hawarden (or any application which in the opinion of the Monitoring Officer in consultation with the Chair of the Standards Committee is substantially the same) as shown on the plan attached to the dispensation.
(b) That under the terms of the dispensation Councillor C.S. Carver is not permitted to vote on nor exercise any council functions (whether executive or otherwise).