Agenda and minutes

Venue: Bromley Civic Centre

Contact: Philippa Gibbs  020 84617638

Items
No. Item

1.

APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Minutes:

Apologies were received from Councillor David Cartwright and Mr Gary Rogers (Independent Person).

2.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Minutes:

There were no additional declarations of interest.

3.

QUESTIONS

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, members of the public may submit one question each on matters relating to the work of the Committee. Questions must have been received in writing 10 working days before the date of the meeting – Thursday 19 October 2023.

 

Questions seeking clarification of the details of a report on the agenda may be accepted within two working days of the normal publication date of the agenda – by5pm on Friday 27 October 2023.

Minutes:

There were no questions.

4.

MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 21 FEBRUARY 2023 pdf icon PDF 169 KB

Minutes:

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 February 2023 be agreed, and signed as a correct record.

5.

MONITORING OFFICER'S GENERAL REPORT pdf icon PDF 270 KB

Minutes:

Report CSD23069

 

The report updated the Committee on a range of standards issues.

 

In respect of Appendix C detailing complaints received since the last meeting in February 2023, a Member queried whether there was a way in which any emerging trends over time could be reflected in the appendix, by having the unique reference for the same Member or the same complainant who are in the process repeatedly.  In response, the Monitoring Officer explained that as any clear trends were identified they would be detailed and further expounded in the body of the Monitoring Officer’s Report.

 

In response to another question, the Monitoring Officer explained that when a number of complaints were received about a Member, but the threshold for breach of the Code were not reached, still informal discussions took place including an explanation of the impact of dealing with the complaints even if there are no breaches.  It was noted that each complaint had to be considered on its own merit and it was not appropriate for an Independent Person to be informed of the history of pervious complaints.

 

Finally, the Committee agreed that complaints alleging a breach of the Code of Conduct arising from email communication should not be considered unless the complainant provided copies of the emails evidencing the alleged breach.

 

RESOLVED: That

 

1.  The Monitoring Officer’s General Report be noted; and

 

2.  It be agreed that complaints alleging a breach of the code arising from email communication should not be considered unless the complainant provides copies of the emails evidencing the alleged breach.