Agenda item

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

Members reported on their attendance at meetings as follows –

·       Independent Member Samuel Jones reported on a meeting of Llandyrnog Community Council held at 7pm on 18 July 2023, which had been held in person, with no public present.  The Chair and Clerk were very efficient, and most councillors participated during the meeting.  Declarations of interest had been sought at the outset, with one declaration made later in the meeting by a councillor who had arrived late, although it was not clear as to whether it was a personal or personal and prejudicial interest, and the member’s intended participation in the item was not made clear.  Overall, the meeting was conducted professionally throughout, and it was pleasing to see members were proactive in the community, and debate was constructive.  The Clerk was also easy to contact and responsive to messages.

·       In the absence of Independent Member Anne Mellor, the Deputy Monitoring Officer read out her report on a recent meeting of Llanarmon Yn Ial Community Council.  It had been a very busy meeting, and all was in order due mainly to the Chair who was very competent and guided everyone through with the aid of the Clerk who was also very experienced.  Sadly, the Clerk was only standing in until a replacement was found.  There was some unrest on the Community Council with members having resigned and new members coming on board.  It was felt that another visit would be advisable in the not-too-distant future and that the support of the Standards Committee would be welcomed.

·       The Chair reported on a hybrid meeting of Denbighshire’s County Council held at 10am on 5 September 2023, and which had been live streamed.  The meeting had been well attended, but it was lengthy, and some members had left before the end.  Officers attended in person and remotely and it was difficult to ascertain whether those in the public gallery were officers or public, although two members of the public attended to ask questions and the Council encouraged more public participation.  Declarations of interest appeared on the agenda and a statement read out with one interest declared and the member acted in accordance with their declaration.  Four urgent matters had been added.  All members and officers were respectful to the Chair and each other, and the Chair ensured all had opportunity to speak.  He did not allow a change to a motion after one point in discussion as he said it was too late to do so in the process.  The Chair ensured the meeting ran smoothly and efficiently, and respectfully directly members to the focus of the debate.  Points of order were raised and addressed satisfactorily.  The Monitoring Officer gave advice and explanation during the meeting in support of the Chair and councillors.  It was noted that the voting procedure did not currently give anonymity to those councillors attending remotely.  In conclusion, the meeting was very well run, encouraged discussion, good behaviour, and professionalism.    

Members highlighted the need for an agreed methodology on how best to feedback following attendance at meetings in a positive and proactive way.  The previously agreed approach of any significant or urgent issues of concern being passed to the Monitoring Officer was reaffirmed.  There was a lengthy debate on the merits of providing tailored feedback to individual councils visited and generic feedback to all councils to share good practice, particularly bearing in mind that only a proportion of councils would have received a visit.  Different views on the best way forward were expressed and debated which led to a consensus that it would be courteous after a visit to provide some acknowledgement and individual feedback in a balanced and supportive manner. It was also agreed that generic feedback and other key messages/common themes be given to all councils on a quarterly basis following receipt of members reports on attendance at meetings of the Standards Committee.

RESOLVED that –

(a)      the verbal reports from members attending meetings be noted, and

(b)      the methodology for feedback following attendance at meetings be agreed as follows –

-       in the event of any concerns, the Monitoring Officer shall make contact the Clerk or Chair of the council;

-       in respect of individual councils that have been visited, a letter be submitted to that particular council with feedback after each Standards Committee, and

-       anonymous observational feedback from the Standards Committee be submitted to all Town/City/Community Councils per quarter, via email/letter.