Issue - meetings

The report of the Head of Legal and Support Services and Monitoring Officer

The Head of Legal and Support Services and Monitoring Officer presented the report.

In response to a question about a complaint which had related to the determination of a planning application, the Monitoring Officer clarified that a complaint needed to relate to matters covered by the Code of Conduct and not simply that the complainant was unhappy with the outcome of an application. Once received, a complaint was considered against the initial tests to see whether it could progress.

Members discussed concerns around public behaviour towards them in certain, rare circumstances. The Monitoring Officer advised that a piece of work around LGA good practice and the ‘debate not hate’ campaign was being worked on by Officers currently, and would be presented to Members in due course.

The Chair of the Governance Working Group advised that a large part of the work was around clarifying terminology, tidying up minor errors, and reconciling inconsistencies. She thanked Officers for assisting the Governance Working Group and the rest of the Committee concurred.

It was moved by Councillor JG Simmons, seconded by Councillor R Johnson, and

RESOLVED THAT:

1. The work of the cross-party working group in conducting the review of the arrangements for dealing with complaints about Councillors be noted
2. The proposed amendments to the arrangements summarised in the report and at appendix A, and illustrated at appendix B, and the proposed changes to the flowchart at appendix C be considered.
3. The amendments to the arrangements and flowchart be recommended to Council for adoption at its meeting on 5 November 2024, for adoption with effect from 6 November 2024.
4. Council be recommended to delegate authority to the Monitoring Officer to update the Constitution to give effect to the amendments required as a consequence of reviewing the arrangements, as set out at appendix D.