Agenda and minutes

To consider items which, in the opinion of the Chairman, should

be considered by the Meeting as matters of urgency (if any).

*SC 1  

Following a request, it was agreed that the responseletter sent to Marcus Jones, Secretary of State for Communities in regard to sanctions would      be circulated to all Members of the Committee.

Meeting held on 29 November 2016

  *SC 2

The Minutes of the Meeting held on 29 November 2016 were confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a true and correct record.

Report of the Deputy Monitoring Officer

*SC 3          

The Monitoring Officer presented the Annual Report to the Members.

Answering questions raised by Members, the Monitoring Officer confirmed that:

-         Only one formal complaint was upheld this year that had been resolved on 2^nd November;

-         A monthly update would be given to the Chairman of the Committee on any complaint received that had moved to the stage of an Independent Person interview and upheld;

-         Parish & Town Councils had the power to deal with their own dispensations;

-         A training event for Parish & Town clerks/councillors in regard to standards would be arranged in the New Year and led by the Monitoring Officer;

-         Officers time was taken up dealing with calls regarding complaints of which most were not classified as a complaint but more of a disagreement to a decision or enquiries about Personal and Disclosable Pecuniary Interests.  In response, the Committee requested some indication of the time spent on calls and enquires and would raise this with the lead Hub Committee Member for Customer First;

-        Recommendation for the annual meeting of the Standards Committee to revert back to a date in March.

It was then RESOLVED that:

1.    The Annual Report be agreed;

2.    The Monitoring Officer will update the Chairman on a monthly basis if any complaint moves to the stage of an IP assessment;

3.    The Monitoring Officer will contact all Parish and Town Clerks with a date for a training session on the purpose and content of West Devon’s Code of Practice in the New Year; and

4.    That the wording ‘dual-hatted’ in the section on general dispensations to Borough Councillors in the Annual Report is changed to ‘multi-hatted’.