(i) To consider
investigation reports in respect of Code of Conduct complaints
that are referred to it by the
Monitoring Officer.
(ii)
To conduct a hearing into an allegation that a Member or co-opted
Member of the Council or Town/Parish Council has breached the
relevant code of conduct. At such
hearing, the Member against whom a complaint has been made may
respond to the investigation report.
Following the hearing the sub-committee can make one of the
following findings:
§
that the Member has not failed to
comply with the Code of Conduct and no further action needs to be
taken in respect of the matters considered at the
hearing;
§
that the Member has failed to comply
with the Code of Conduct but no further action needs to be taken in
respect of the matters considered at the hearing; or
§
that the Member has failed to comply with the Code of
Conduct and a sanction and/or an informal resolution should be
imposed.
(iii) The
sub-committee may impose any action or combination of actions
available to it, or impose any informal resolution or combination
of informal resolutions as are available to it either by law or
policy.
(iv) After
making a finding the sub-committee shall, as soon as
reasonably practicable, provide written notice of its findings and
the reason for its decision to the Member and the
complainant.
(v) To
apply the council’s Standards Complaints Procedure and
Complaints Standards Sub-Committee Procedure to hearings before the
sub-committee.