Agenda and draft minutes

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Standards Committee - Wednesday, 12 February 2025 7.00 pm

Venue: Council Chamber, Council Offices, Knowle Green, Staines-upon-Thames TW181XB

Contact: Karen Wyeth  Email: k.wyeth@spelthorne.gov.uk

Link: Members of the public may hear the proceedings by tuning into the Council's YouTube channel

Media

Items
No. Item

35/25

Minutes pdf icon PDF 206 KB

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 2 December 2024.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 02 December 2024 were agreed as a correct record.

36/25

Disclosures of Interest

To receive any disclosures of interest from councillors in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct for members.

Minutes:

There were none.

37/25

Amendments to the Constitution pdf icon PDF 468 KB

Committee is asked to recommend to Council to:

1)    Approve the proposed changes to the Terms of Reference and Financial Regulations in the Constitution as set out in the report.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee resolved to recommend to Council that it approves the proposed Changes to the Terms of Reference and Financial Regulations in the Constitution as set out in the report.

38/25

Update on Member Complaints pdf icon PDF 365 KB

Committee is asked to:

1)    Acknowledge the update on the numbers and outcomes of Member complaints dealt with since April 2024; and

2)    Consider possible measures to address complaints about the same few Members, in order to improve standards.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report that invited members to discuss  possible measures to improve standards of conduct.

 

Committee members expressed concerns over the procedure for the Hearing Panel that took place in October 2024 and asked that it be looked at so that lessons could be learnt. The Council’s Monitoring Officer advised that an independent investigation would be undertaken to look at all aspects of the Hearing Panel process for this complaint.

 

The Committee asked the Monitoring Officer to look at what constituted an apology.

 

It was agreed that further training was needed for all members on social media. The Monitoring Officer advised that she had approached an external trainer and was in the process of agreeing a date for such training.

 

The Committee felt that where possible complaints from Councillors on Councillors could, in the first instance be referred to the Group Leaders for them to help mediate before it became a formal complaint that needed to be investigated.

 

The Monitoring Officer was asked to provide committee members with the reasons why a complaint that was considered at the December 2024 meeting was dealt with differently to the complaint that led to the hearing in October. The Committee were advised that this would be sent directly to all committee members.

 

 

The Committee resolved to:

 

1.    Acknowledge the update on the numbers and outcomes of Member complaints dealt with since April 2024,