Agenda and minutes

To appoint a Chairman for this meeting.

RESOLVED – that Councillor K Crofton be appointed Chairman for this meeting of the Standards Sub-Committee.

To approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 6 March 2014.

RESOLVED – that the Minutes of the meeting of the Standards Sub-Committee held on 6 March 2014 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

The Monitoring Officer submitted a report on a complaint alleging that District Councillor W Ashley had breached the Authority’s Councillors Code of Conduct.

Members noted that, in appropriate cases, the Monitoring Officer may seek to resolve the complaint informally, without the need for a formal investigation.  The Monitoring Officer advised that, having consulted the Independent Person, he considered that the complaint could not be resolved informally.

Members further noted that the complainant had requested that their name and address be kept confidential.  The Monitoring Officer highlighted that their name and address had been kept confidential and had not been disclosed to the Member involved.  The complaints form and the attachments had been redacted to exclude references to the complainant’s name, address and email address.  The complainant’s name was, however, now a matter of public record based on the circumstances now detailed.

Members requested the Monitoring Officer to ensure that the complainant’s and third parties’ details be redacted in all subsequently published documentation relating to this complaint.

The Monitoring Officer also highlighted the Council’s assessment criteria for such complaints. He invited the Sub-Committee to use the criteria to reach one of the following decisions on the complaint:

(A)      to refer it to the Council’s Monitoring Officer for investigation, or

(B)      to take no action.

The Sub-Committee agreed to refer the complaint to the Monitoring Officer for investigation.  The Monitoring Officer, in response to Members’ comments advised that he intended to appoint an independent Investigating Officer.  The appointing process would also identify the timetable for the investigation to be undertaken and consequential report produced.

           RESOLVED – that the complaint now submitted alleging that District Councillor W Ashley had breached the Authority’s Code of Conduct be referred to the Monitoring Officer for investigation.