Issue - meetings

Report CDS19160

The Committee considered an update on the work that had been carried out to review the Council’s Code of Conduct since publication of the report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

The Committee suggested that each paragraph within the revised Code of Conduct should be numbered and that technical terms and abbreviations should be defined.  It was agreed that the second substantive paragraph should be amended to read – “You must act solely in the public interest and must never improperly confer an advantage or disadvantage…”

In respect of the definition of bullying and harassment, the Committee suggested that the following change be made to paragraph 1.2 – “Harassment, bullying…are unacceptable and will not be tolerated.”  A Member also suggested that in considering complaints of bullying and harassment great weight should  be placed on the impact of conduct on others and how the subject of the alleged bullying and harassment perceived the behaviour.

In respect of the additional requirements around confidentiality, a Member suggested that there should be additional guidance around GDPR and the safeguarding and secure disposal of confidential papers received by Members.  The need for Members to fully understand their duties around GDPR compliant storage and disposal of sensitive data was highlighted.  It was agreed that the Head of Information Management should be invited to the next meeting to discuss key issues around information governance with the Committee.  The Chairman also requested that an update on Members’ responsibly to ensure the security of  any data held on portable electronic devises was also provided at the next meeting.

The Monitoring Officer confirmed that following the appointment of another Independent Person, in the interests of transparency, the outcome of the first stage of complaints would be sent to the Independent Person for review.  Members noted that, in the event of disagreement between the Monitoring Officer and the Independent Person, the final decision would sit with the Monitoring Officer.  It was noted that the Monitoring Officer was required to consult with the Independent Person before referring a complaint to the Standards Committee.  A Member suggested that for clarity references in the Code of Conduct to “formal standards investigations” should be removed.

RESOLVED: That

1. The report be noted;

2. Full Council be recommended to approve the updated Code of Conduct, subject to the amendments outlined above and standards committee members consulting with group colleagues; and

3. The Public Interest Test be endorsed.