Issue - meetings

The Monitoring Officer submitted a report on the complaint alleging that Councillor James Cartwright had breached the Council’s Code of Conduct.  The complaint was the third of three complaints alleging misconduct by Councillor J Cartwright to be considered. 

The Sub-Committee noted the detail of the complaint and the evidence provided by the complainant in support of his allegation.

The Monitoring Officer confirmed that, having consulted the Independent Person, she did not consider the complaint could be resolved informally. 

The Monitoring Officer invited the Sub-Committee to consider the complaint against the (published) assessment criteria of the Authority’s Complaints Procedure.  The Monitoring Officer invited Members to focus their consideration on whether the Member was acting as a Councillor, whether it was in the public interest to investigate this matter; whether the complaint was substantially the same as a previous complaint and whether if proven, the circumstances of this particular case were capable of being a breach of the Code of Conduct.

The Sub-Committee retired to a separate room to consider the complaint.

After careful consideration of the complaint made by Scott Ramsay, in consultation with the Independent Person and taking into account the Council’s assessment criteria, the Sub-Committee determined that on balance, because of the continuing nature of the complaints, the public interest and the similarities between the complaints submitted to the Sub-Committee today and at a previous meeting, the complaint should go forward for investigation.

The Sub-Committee referred to the “tweet” issued shortly after a previous determination.  The Sub-Committee felt that it was necessary for an investigation to consider all three complaints under one “umbrella” complaint, as expeditiously as possible. 

The Sub-Committee also urged all individuals concerned to meet to resolve their differences. 

The Sub-Committee expressed concern about the “tweet” which referred to East Herts District Council and formally stated that it did not condone the kind of behaviour referred to in the “tweet”.

RESOLVED - that the complaint now detailed, be investigated as one of three complaints submitted under one “umbrella” investigation.