Agenda and draft minutes

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 11 June 2025.

Committee resolved to agree the minutes of the meeting held 11 June 2025.

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

There were no disclosures of interest.

To receive a verbal update

The Council’s Monitoring Officer advised the Committee that the previous Independent Chair had resigned and that the current Vice-Chair would be chairing the Committee. A recruitment exercise would be undertaken in the new year to appoint a new Independent Chair.

Committee is asked to:

1.    Approve the change in name of the ‘Climate Change Working Group’ to the ‘Climate and Nature Working Group’,

2.    Consider and approve the revised Terms of Reference set out in Appendix A; and

3.    Make a recommendation to Council to approve adoption of this into the Council’s Consitution.

The Committee considered a report that had previously been brought before the Environment and Sustainability Committee on 18 September and they  had resolved to make a recommendation to the Standards Committee.

The Committee resolved to make a recommendation to Council to:

1.    Approve the change of name of the ‘Climate Change Working Group’ to the ‘Climate and Nature Working Group’,

2.    Approve the Revised Terms of Reference as outlined in Appendix A of the report; and

3.    To adopt the changes into the Council’s Constitution.

This report seeks to inform and assure the Committee following a review of the Councillor code of Conduct in Part 5(a) of the Constitution.

The Committee received an update on the review of the Councillor Code of Conduct.

The Committee resolved to acknowledge the update on the review of the Councillor Code of Conduct.

Approval is sought from the Committee for the proposed amendments to the Contract Standing Orders.

The Committee considered a report that sought a recommendation to be made to Council.

The Committee resolved to:

1.    Consider the updated Contract Standing Orders; and

2.    Recommend that the Council approve the updated Contract Standing Orders as set out in the report.

Committee is asked to:

1.Consider options in Section 3 of this report; and

2. approve recommendations in Section 3.1 and 3.2 of this report

The Council’s Monitoring Officer updated the Committee on the external review relating to the Standards Sub-Committee Hearing on 17 October 2024 that had been completed.

The Committee were asked to consider options in Section 3 of the report and to approve the recommendation in Sections 3.1 and 3.2 of the report.

The Committee considered whether the report should be discussed in an open or private session. A vote was taken as follows:

To go into a closed session – 4 votes

To remain in an open session – 4 votes

The Committee were advised that there was a deadlock and that if the balance was equal or tipped toward disclosure the information must be made public therefore the meeting remained in an open session.

Councillor Geraci requested a named vote

The Committee voted on the recommendations in Section 3.1 and 3.2 separately as follows:

Recommendation 3.1 – Determine that the decision made by the Hearing stands, is final, cannot be re-opened and no further action shall be taken –

Recommendation 3.2 – Accept the recommendations set out in paragraphs 124-127 (inclusive) of the report produced by The Investigating Officer –

As both of the above votes resulted in a deadlock situation, the Committee were advised that the recommendations FELL.