Agenda and minutes

Cllr Swift substituted for Cllr Ali.

There were no declarations of disclosable pecuniary interests or personal or personal and prejudicial interests made at the meeting.

Resolved – That the minutes of the meeting of this committeeheld on 19 January 2023, having been printed and circulated amongst the members, be taken as read and correctly recorded and be signed by the chairman.

The Chairman welcomed T/Detective Inspector Ben Robinson to the meeting.  The Chairman explained that T/DI Robinson had been invited to contribute to the Standards Committee’s recent work on ensuring robust local arrangements to promote democratic engagement and to support and ensure the safety and wellbeing of local councillors.

T/DI Robinson gave a detailed presentation entitled Debate, Not Hate: The Impact of Abuse on Local Democracy, which built upon previous work by the Local Government Association.  The report covered malicious communications, the relevant provisions within the legislation, and what councillors could do to protect themselves, including establishing expectations and reporting abuse and harassment.

The Chairman then led an informative discussion about systems that had been established, both at the council and within Humberside Police, to address this issue.  T/DI Robinson confirmed that abuse, harassment and stalking were always taken seriously by Humberside Police, and they were fully committed to act accordingly.  T/DI Robinson responded to further questions on how to report concerns, methods of safely interacting with others, and how local arrangements could be strengthened further.

Resolved – (a) That T/DI Robinson be thanked for their informative presentation and for responding to members’ questions, and; (b) that the Standards Committee note and welcome the systems that had been put in place locally to support and protect local democracy and elected councillors.   

The Director: Governance & Communities submitted a report updating the Standards Committee on progress made on all outstanding complaints and investigations, and any relevant issues related to the Complaints Schedule.

Resolved – That the schedule be noted.

There were no urgent or additional items for consideration at the meeting.