Agenda item
ETHICAL LIAISON AND THE DUTY OF GROUP LEADERS
To consider a
report by the Deputy Monitoring Officer (copy attached) on the new duty
placed upon political group leaders to promote ethical behaviour.
Minutes:
The Deputy
Monitoring Officer guided members through the report (previously circulated)
which provided details of the new duties placed on group leaders to promote
good ethnical behaviour.
The statutory guidance
issued by the Welsh Government in respect of the guidance for Group leaders had
yet to been formally finalised. The draft guidance was available for all to see
on the Welsh Government website.
Members were guided through the draft
guidance which included examples of how Group Leaders might perform their duty,
detailed in the report, with the Standards Committee having the responsibility
to request Group Leaders attendance at a Standards’ Committee meeting to
discuss any issues or concerns.
It also recommends that the Standards
Committee arrange to train the Group Leaders on the duty annually. Therefore,
it was proposed a meeting with Group Leaders to review behaviour in the form of
an ‘Ethical Liaison Group’ would be established. It was suggested the group
would meet regularly and could include members from the Standards committee.
Members heard the draft guidance also
referred to the need for group leaders to make reports to the Standards
Committee on their progress in fulfilling their duty. The Standards Committee
would be able to discuss these reports with group leaders and use them as a
basis for the Committee’s annual report to Council on the way in which group
leaders are discharging that duty.
Included in the pack was a template that could
be adopted for Group Leaders to complete for Standards Committee members to
review.
It was proposed the Chair and Vice Chair
attend with the Monitoring Officer at the next Group Leaders meeting to discuss
the changes and emphasise the importance of the role of each Group Leader.
The Chair thanked the Deputy Monitoring
Officer for the detailed report. She reminded members the regulatory
requirement of the Standards Committee to report on the role of the Group
Leaders. In her opinion the attached template
set out a clear and transparent report for Group Leaders to complete. It
provided a clear and transparent way for Group Leaders to detail information.
She suggested the template be shared with the Group Leaders for comments or
suggested amendments to use going forward.
Members suggested that a training session on
‘Local Resolution Protocol’ could be added as an area for the Standards
Committee to revisit. The Deputy Monitoring Officer noted the suggestion and
agreed to add to the suggested areas of training.
Members felt it important to ensure Group
Leaders were aware of what was required from them and suggested it was
emphasised at either a Standards Committee meeting or at an Ethical Liaison
meeting.
The Chair informed the committee that at
Flintshire County Council, the Ethnical Liaison Group had commenced. Those
meetings had been attended by the Chair and Vice Chair of the Standards
Committee along with the Group Leaders and Monitoring Officer. It allowed
members at those meetings to discuss any arising issues or discuss examples of
any areas of concern. It allowed a platform for Group Leaders to share
experiences in a safe environment.
Members suggested an informal meeting could
be arranged to discuss the proposed Ethnical Liaison Group with Group Leaders
and a ‘workshop’ informal meeting would be the place to commence.
Members agreed that all Standards Committee
members be invited to a briefing to discuss and agree a methodology to ensure
that together we promote compliance of the Code of Conduct whilst complying
with statutory duties.
It was suggested that on the attached
template form, a box for the period of time be included along with a section at
the top stating the source to be made more clear. It was also suggested that a
section be included on open and resolved complaints to ensure members are made
aware of any ongoing complaints.
Members,
RESOLVED,
·
That members discuss and agree an approach
which supports Group Leaders to discharge their duties, providing information
and reasoning behind the draft regulations. Members agreed for the proposed
template to be presented for consideration.
·
That all Standards Committee members be
invited to attend with the Monitoring Officer a Group Leaders’ meeting in order
to move forward with an agreed method of monitoring the duty.
·
That the Committee gave consideration to
training and support to be provided and by whom. The Committee support the
establishment of an Ethnical Liaison Group for meetings going forward.
·
That the Group Leader’ reports be received
by the Committee following the municipal year to form part of the Standards
Committee Annual report to Full Council.
·
That the Group Leader’ reports be received
by the Committee following the municipal year to form part of the Standards Committee
Annual report to Full Council.
Supporting documents:
- Standards Report Group Leaders' Approach 2.12.22, item 9. PDF 139 KB
- Appendix 1 Group Leaders Template, item 9. PDF 119 KB