Agenda item

To note the attendance by members of the Standards Committee at County, Town and Community Council and to receive their reports.

Independent members Anne Mellor and Peter Lamb had attended a meeting of Denbigh Town Council on 27^th January 2020. They reported:

·         There was some difficulty navigating Denbigh Town Council’s web site to find the meeting start time and agenda.

·         The meeting started promptly. There was the Chair, Vice-chair and 9 members present. Also in attendance was a translator.

·         They were given a warm welcome and translation headsets.

·         Although there were two declarations of interest for item 19 they were not made obvious as to whether they were personal or prejudicial.

·         The item on Electronic Book Keeping was moved on quite quickly even though two Councillors questioned the standard practice. The Chair overruled their objections with very little dialogue between them.

·         The rest of the agenda ran efficiently.

·         They were asked to leave for the last item (item 19) on Denbigh Town Hall which was a Part 2 confidential item.

Overall the meeting was suitably formal, polite and well managed. The Chair was appropriate (if swift) and the Clerk was very knowledgeable on all items on the agenda.

The Independent members felt that it was beneficial to have two members of the Standards Committee in attendance as they both saw different aspects of participation in the meeting.

Independent members Julia Hughes and Anne Mellor had attended a meeting of Cefn Meiriadog Community Council on 25 February 2020 at 7:00pm. It was reported:

·         The website was difficult to navigate to find meeting times etc. but the Clerk had been extremely helpful supplying information. The website was in the process of being replaced.

·         It was not clear who the Chair was initially as the Clerk covered a number of items.

·         There were 6 members plus the Clerk in attendance. Two members arrived late and two apologies were given.

·         The declaration of interest statement was read aloud at the start of the meeting. The two late arrivals were not asked but one declared regardless. The member stated what their interest was but did not clarify whether it was a personal or prejudicial interest. The member remained in the room whilst the item of interest was discussed – Urdd Funding Request.

·         Sometimes the discussions were concluded without clear actions agreed nor voted upon when required. Although most councillors took an active part.

·         The Clerk made a request about his salary and expenses but was not asked to leave the room whilst the subject was discussed.

·         The Clerk gave good legal advice with supporting documentation to the committee regarding requests by individuals for funding.

·         The Gypsy and Traveller planning application was discussed. The County Councillor explained the planning process and advised that members of the public could attend the Planning Committee.

·         The County Councillor was unable to attend the Gyspy & Traveller site meeting, however a member of the Community Council would be in attendance. It was not clear at the end of the discussion if the Chair would attend the site meeting.

·         The Chairs and Councillors were well supported by the Clerk throughout the meeting.

Following the feedback reports the Committee suggested that a standard template / tick list of points to note at meetings, relating to Code of Conduct and training requirements, might be a useful tool.

It was noted that Flintshire County Council Partnership Office/Monitoring Officer would write to all their Town and Community Councils highlighting generic advice and feedback on observed meetings. The Deputy Monitoring Officer agreed to liaise with Flintshire County Council to source their feedback template letter.

RESOLVED that the above mentioned points be noted.