Chairman: Councillor Poole
Venue: F04e, Church Square House, 30-40 Church Square, Scunthorpe
Time: 2 pm
E- Mail Address: dean.gillon@northlincs.gov.uk
AGENDA
- Substitutions (if any)
- Declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests and Personal or Personal and Prejudicial Interests.
- To take the minutes of the meeting of the Standards Committee held on 26 June 2019 as a correct record and authorise the chairman to sign.
- Appointment of Independent Persons and Independent Person Remuneration Appointments.
- Complaints Schedule – Update.
- Any other items which the Chairman decides are urgent by reason of special circumstances which must be specified.
Note: Reports are by the Director: Governance & Partnerships unless otherwise stated.
MINUTES
PRESENT: – Councillor Poole (in the Chair).
Councillors Ellerby, England, Ogg, O'Sullivan, Wells and Yeadon.
The committee met at Church Square House, Scunthorpe
281 DECLARATIONS OF DISCLOSABLE PECUNIARY, PERSONAL OR PERSONAL AND PREJUDICIAL INTERESTS - There were no declarations of interests made at the meeting.
282 MINUTES – Resolved - That, subject to a minor change on minute 271, the minutes of the meeting of this committee held on 26 June 2019, having been printed and circulated amongst the members, be taken as read and correctly recorded and be signed by the chairman.
283 APPOINTMENT OF INDEPENDENT PERSONS AND INDEPENDENT PERSON REMUNERATION – The Director: Governance and Partnerships updated the Standards Committee of progress in appointing two additional Independent Persons and a replacement non-voting member of the Standards Committee. Following a robust recruitment process, including interviews with a Sub-Committee of members of the Standards Committee, two additional Independent Persons had been identified. The Sub-Committee therefore requested that the Standards Committee make a recommendation to Council to appoint.
As one of the recommended appointees was a member of the Standards Committee, they had agreed to vacate their seat. The Sub-Committee had identified a replacement member, and again requested that the Standards Committee make a recommendation to Council to appoint.
The Director: Governance and Partnerships also requested that due to the increase in complaints and the increasing complexity, the remuneration for Independent Persons be revised to 42 per complaint referral. This would reflect the time required to assess complaints, and ensure that Independent Persons are suitably remunerated for assessing complaints that are not subsequently considered by the Standards Committee - Assessment Panel.
The Committee discussed the issue, asking questions about the workloads and need for retaining a number of Independent Persons. The Director confirmed that this was in accordance with recent 'Best Practice' recommendations from the Committee for Standards in Public Life that 'Local Authorities should have access to at least two Independent Persons.'
Recommended to Council - (a) That Mr. Wayne Harvie and Mr. Anthony Forbes be appointed as Independent Persons and Ms Sue Wroe as a co-opted, non-voting member of the Standards Committee, and (b) the change in remuneration to Independent Persons to 42 per complaint referral be approved.
284 COMPLAINTS SCHEDULE – The Director: Governance and Partnerships submitted a report updating the committee on progress made with complaints received.
The Director updated members on the complaints schedule, confirming that there were no outstanding complaints requiring assessment. Two complaints had been referred for investigation and this work was underway. The remainder of the schedule was up to date.
Resolved – That the report be noted.
285 ANY OTHER BUSINESS - The Chairman initiated a discussion about the relationship between the Standards Committee and East Riding and Northern Lincolnshire Local Councils Association (ERNLLCA). The Chairman highlighted his wish to form a closer working relationship, and identified several ways of achieving this aim, through improved dialogue.
Resolved – That the Director: Governance and Partnerships initiate a discussion with ERNLLCA, feeding back to a future meeting of the Standards Committee.