Standards Committee

Minutes of the Meeting held on 17 March 2015

Time Commenced: 4.00pm Time Terminated: 5.10pm

Present:

Mrs Valerie Bracken (Chair)
Councillors Bell, S Quinn, M Smith, Mrs Barnes and Town Councillor Carter.

Also in attendance:

Sandra Stewart (Executive Director Governance / Borough Solicitor), Pam Williams (Executive Director, Finance.

Apologies for Absence:

Councillor Kitchen and J Lane and the Chief Executive.

17. Declarations Of Interest

There were no declarations of interest submitted by members of the Standards Committee.

18. Minutes

The Minutes of the proceedings of the Standards Committee held on 25 November 2015 were taken as read and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

19. Committee for Standards in Public Life

The Monitoring Officer introduced a report presenting and summarising two documents produced by the Committee for Standards in Public Life – “Ethics in Practice: Promoting Ethical Conduct in Public Life” and the Annual Report of the Committee.

The first paper presented an overview of practices across Local Government aimed at promoting high standards of ethical conduct, with particular emphasis on areas such as induction procedures for newly-elected Members and ongoing training. The Monitoring Officer summarised Tameside practice in these areas, explaining that an induction programme would be arranged as usual for newly elected members following the next local elections. The induction programme covered a range of topics including introduction to service areas, the Council’s Constitution, Members Code of Conduct and rules around disclosure of interests.

The Monitoring Officer advised that she had completed the survey from the Committee for Standards in Public Life seeking information on the content, reception and perceived effect of induction for Elected Members, focusing particularly on the standards element of induction. The results of the survey were outlined for information.

Members expressed strong support for induction training and also for ongoing / refresher training and the Committee had received its annual update on the Elected Member Development provision at its meeting on in November 2014. The theme for 2015/16 Member Training and Development would be ‘Engaging with our Local Communities’. Members discussed relevant topics for possible inclusion in the programme relating to the role and decision making processes of the Council’s quasi-judicial panels, the ethical framework and the school appeals process. These would be explored further in liaison with officers responsible for Member Development and an invitation would be extended to training sessions of particular relevance for independent Standards Committee Members.

In respect of the Annual Report, it was noted that it was a wide-ranging document. It reiterated concerns regarding some of the impacts of provisions in the Localism Act, such as the dilution of sanctions available to local Standards Committees, but also noted that the introduction of “Independent Persons” to participate in complaint handling had had an effect in reducing the incidence of trivial or vexatious complaints. Other significant issues included the importance of induction training, scope for promotion of ethical procurement, and the positive impact of Individual Electoral Registration in tackling electoral fraud.

Resolved

1. That the content of the report be noted;
2. That independent members of the Standards Committee be invited to attend Member Development training sessions of particular relevance to their role.

20. The National Audit Office (Nao) Guidance on Conflicts Of Interest

The Monitoring Officer presented a report advising that the National Audit Office (NAO) had produced a useful document on conflicts of interest. Now that the Audit Commission had been abolished, the guidance of the NAO would become increasingly relevant to local government. Cases of bias and corruption had been part of local government history for a century or more. The importance of recognizing conflicts of interest in the public sector and managing them effectively was highlighted in the report. In the last year, the NAO had a significant number of potential conflicts referred to it, through whistleblowing and otherwise, particularly in areas of government where services were increasingly commissioned. Conflicts of interest could bring decision-making into disrepute, if not well-managed and could lead to reputational damage and undermine public confidence in the integrity of institutions. The NAO provided examples of conflicts that had arisen in the delivery of public services, drawing on existing work and other intelligence.

It was noted that prior to 2000, Tameside Council had strict rules on interests and if someone did have an interest they took no part in decision-making. That rule was ameliorated in the Local Government Act 2000 and the Code of Conduct which separated prejudicial and non-prejudicial interests. The Localism Act had resulted in a further relaxation of approach to ethical standards, including conflict of interest, encouraged by the removal of any meaningful sanction.

Resolved

That the National Audit Office Guidance on Conflicts of Interest be recommended to Council Members.

21. Code of Conduct for Campaigners: Electoral Registration, Postal Voting, Proxy Voting And Polling Stations

Consideration was given to a report of the Executive Director (Governance) which stated that the Chief Executive as Returning Officer and Electoral Registration Officer had been assessed by the Electoral Commission as achieving the highest standards in respect of all areas of performance. This compared very favourably with other Returning Officers within the Northwest region. The report stated that the Council wished to maintain its reputation for high standards and it was important, therefore, that whilst the Returning Officer continued to comply with legislation that the integrity of the elections was also maintained in order that the public could have confidence in the integrity of elections. With that end in mind, all candidates and agents would be asked to sign up to the Code of Conduct for political parties, candidates and canvassers on the handling of postal vote applications and postal ballot papers which has been agreed by the main political parties and detailed in the report. Reference was also made to the approach to complaints to be adopted by the Returning Officer and a guidance note asking all those involved in any campaign activity to adhere to general principles around the use of social media.

The Committee welcomed the position adopted by the Returning Officer and the advice to be given to all candidates for the forthcoming elections which, the Committee expected to be complied with to maintain the high standards of electoral conduct. It was, therefore –

Resolved

1. That the Code of Conduct for political parties, candidates and canvassers on the handing of postal vote applications and postal ballot papers be endorsed.
2. That all Candidates and agents be asked to:
   

a. sign up to the Code of Conduct;
b. note and comply with the Guidance on Social Media; and
c. note the approach to complaints to be adopted by the Returning Officer.

22. Register of Interests and Gifts and Hospitality

The Register of Interests and Gifts and Hospitality were made available at the meeting for inspection.

23. Urgent Items

The Chair advised that there were no urgent items for consideration at this meeting.

24. Date of the Next Meeting

It was noted that future meetings of the Standards Committee would take place on the following dates:

Tuesday 8 September 2015
Tuesday 8 December 2015
Tuesday 5 April 2016

Chair