Issue - meetings

LEADER OF LIBERAL DEMOCRAT GROUP

Meeting: 09/03/2010 - Standards Committee (Item 41)

41 LEADER OF LIBERAL DEMOCRAT GROUP pdf icon PDF 6 KB

Councillor David McBride, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on the Council, has accepted the Committee’s invitation to attend this meeting, to discuss ethical governance issues.

 

An extract from the Minutes of his last visit to the Committee, in December 2008, is attached as an Appendix.

 

Councillor John Getgood, Leader of the Labour Group, is unable to attend this evening, but will be invited to a future meeting of the Committee.

Minutes:

Councillor David McBride, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on the Council, attended the meeting.  He had previously been along to discuss ethical governance issues with the Committee in December 2008.

 

He expressed the view that, from his perspective, councillor behaviour towards officers had improved since the last time he had attended the Committee. He felt that these tensions tended to manifest themselves more in the earlier part of a council term, and confirmed that he would, as a political group leader, be counselling new colleagues to be sensitive to the impact their approach or behaviour might have on officers, and to promote a culture of respect and professionalism where challenges needed to be made.  Whilst the Member/ Officer protocol had been longer in gestation than he would have liked he welcomed the fact that it was now in place, would play his part in promoting it to his group colleagues, and would welcome reference to it being included in new councillor induction.

 

He was pleased to note the shortlisting of the Council in Standards and Ethics category of the LGC Awards which he felt as due to the hard work put in by this Committee to develop their role, and he welcomed the opportunity afforded to him to feed into their thinking in this way.

 

The Chairman thanked Councillor McBride for coming to the Committee meeting to share his thoughts.

 

RESOLVED that as part of the Committee’s communications plan, thought be given to ways of promoting the Member/Officer protocol to both councillors and officers.