Agenda item

To consider an update on Code of Conduct complaints, any matters arising and Member training for 2022/23.

The Committee considered a report, set out at Agenda pages 9 to 16, which provided an update on progress relating to Councillor Code of Conduct complaints.

The report stated that, since the previous meeting in March, five complaints had been received – four relating to WBC Members and one relating to a Town/Parish Councillor. No action was taken in relation to four complaints whilst one was subject to further investigation.

Appendix A to the report gave details of the complaints received in 2022/23 to date. Appendix B gave details of previously outstanding complaints relating to two Parish Councillors.

The Monitoring Officer reported that he had met with the Town and Parish Clerks in March to discuss options to raise awareness of Code of Conduct. The Clerks reported that their Councils had either recently adopted the new LGA Code of Conduct or were actively considering it. It was agreed that further promotion and awareness training could take place in 2022/23. It was also agreed that the Monitoring Officer would develop an online training package for use by the Towns and Parishes. This work was ongoing.

In the ensuing discussion Members raised the following points:

What was the role of the Standards Committee in resolving alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct? It was confirmed that the Standards Committee’s role was to set the standards of behaviour expected, ensure that Members received adequate training and support and identify any trends or issues requiring further intervention. A small number of complaints ended up at a Hearings Panel, made up of members of the Committee. The work of the Committee was publicised with any Members found to have breached the Code of Conduct being the subject of a public decision notice.

In relation to the backlog of complaints, what has been done to speed up the process? It was confirmed that additional resources had been identified, for example through the role of Deputy Monitoring Officer.

It was apparent that breaches relating to the use or misuse of social media were increasing. What was the Council doing to address this trend? It was confirmed that training for Members would be delivered in the autumn of 2022. In the meantime, the Monitoring Officer was happy to talk to Members about specific issues or concerns.

In relation to cases where Members did not co-operate with the Monitoring Officer, was it possible to introduce additional sanctions under the Code of Conduct. It was confirmed that this suggestion would be given further consideration.

In relation to Member training, it was felt that induction training for new Members should be supported by an annual refresh on the Code of Conduct for all Members.

Was it possible to provide additional support for Town and Parish Chairs, to help them to deal with complaints locally? It was confirmed that the Monitoring Officer already provided support for Clerks who were dealing with complaints. Additional support for Chairs could be considered but would be dependent on the finite resources available for the Monitoring officer. The Monitoring Officer was happy to have further discussions with the Clerks on these issues.

In relation to the high number of complaints relating to Woodley Town Council, did this relate to a small number of repeat offenders or were the complaints spread amongst a wider group of Members? The Monitoring Officer undertook to consider this issue further before reporting back to the Committee.

RESOLVED That:

1)     the update on Code of Conduct complaints be noted;

2)     a further update on the training issues raised by Members be provided at the next meeting of the Committee on 24 October 2022.