Issue - meetings

Report CSD19098

The Committee received a report from the Monitoring Officer setting out a number of issues for consideration. The Independent Person, Dr Simon Davey, had sent in some comments on the report which were tabled for consideration.

(A) Independent Persons

The Committee received an update on progress with recruiting additional Independent Persons. Advertisements earlier in the year had failed to attract any applications; Members proposed advertising in a wider range of locations and suggested looking amongst different categories of potential recruits, such as honorary aldermen, religious groups and residents associations, although it was a requirement that Independent Persons should not be actively engaged in politics or local campaigning. 

Members also suggested that the advertisement could be made more attractive and direct.

(B) Committee for Standards in Public Life - Local Government Ethical Standards Report (January 2019)

The report of the Committee for Standards in Public Life on “Local Government Ethical Standards” had been published on 30^th January 2019. The report reflected the Committee’s concerns that there was a lack of effective sanctions in the current standards regime, other than the criminal sanctions relating to Declarable pecuniary Interests. The Committee for Standards in Public Life made 26 formal recommendations, most of which were addressed to government and required legislation, but also proposed 15 “best practice” recommendations which could be implemented by local authorities. One of the recommendations (25) was that party groups at local and national level should require that formal induction training be compulsory, and a Member considered that compulsion was not a helpful approach. It was proposed that work on the best practice recommendations in the Committee’s report be fed into a wider review of the Council’s Code of Conduct.

Members discussed the requirement that their home addresses be published on the Council website as part of their Declaration of Interest. These addresses could be taken down temporarily if there was a genuine threat to a Councillor or their family, but otherwise this was a clear statutory requirement. 

The Committee discussed how high ethical standards could be promoted beyond the formal realm of Council meetings at group meetings. This was an area where group leaders could be effective in encouraging good practice and integrity of decision making.

The peer review of Bromley’s planning committees by the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) had made reference to the Standards Committee’s role on monitoring and advising on training of planning committee members. It was noted that a report on the recommendations arising from the Review was expected to be considered by the Development Control Committee at its meeting on 23^rd July 2019. The Chairman offered to speak to the Chairman of Development Control Committee before their meeting, and a special meeting of this Committee could be called if necessary.  Members requested that the PAS Report be circulated to the Committee members. 

Bromley’s Code of Conduct was based on a model code proposed by the Department for Communities and Local Government following the Localism Act 2011. Bromley had voluntarily opted to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17