Agenda item

Arising from a number of concerns raised by councillors since the 2019 elections in relation to ethical standards, communications, and transparency, the Council noted that the Corporate Governance and Standards Committee at its meeting in November 2019 had established a cross-party task group, including a co-opted parish representative and an independent member of the Committee, with a wide remit to consider, review and make recommendations in respect of these matters.

The Task Group had met on a number of occasions since it was established and had considered, reviewed, and made recommendations to the Corporate Governance and Standards Committee on 24 September 2020 in respect of the Protocol on Councillor/Officer Relations.

Councillors noted that although the Protocol was not a statutory document, its purpose was to provide guidance for councillors and officers on their respective roles and expected conduct in their relationship with one another.  The Committee had commended the Task Group’s recommendations, which were the subject of the report now before the Council.

The Leader of the Council, Councillor Joss Bigmore proposed, and the Vice-Chairman of the Corporate Governance and Standards Committee, Councillor Deborah Seabrook, seconded the adoption of the following motion:

(1)       That the draft revised Protocol on Councillor/Officer Relations, attached as Appendix 2 to the report submitted to the Council, be adopted.

(2)       That the Protocol be reviewed at least every four years at the same time as the Council reviews its codes of conduct for councillors and staff.

Reasons:

·       To ensure that properly reviewed and up to date guidance is made available to councillors and officers.

·       To ensure that the Protocol is kept under review at least every four years

Under Council Procedure Rule 15 (o), Councillor Bigmore as the mover of the original motion, indicated that, with the consent of his seconder and of the meeting, he wished to alter his motion as follows:

Change paragraph (1) of the motion so that it reads:

“(1) That the draft revised Protocol on Councillor/Officer Relations, attached as Appendix 2 to the report submitted to the Council, be adopted subject to the following amendment to paragraph 10.1 of the Protocol:

 “10.1     All confidential information held by the Council, in whatever form, remains confidential to the Council and subject to the requirements of the Data Protection regulations, unless and until such confidentiality is waived by the Monitoring Officer. Any dispute will be determined by the Monitoring Officer in consultation with the Corporate Governance and Standards Committee”

The Council agreed to accept the alteration to the original motion, as indicated above. The motion, as altered, therefore became the substantive motion for debate.

Following the debate on the substantive motion, Councillor Susan Parker proposed, and Councillor Ramsey Nagaty seconded, the following amendment:

In paragraph (2) of the substantive motion, substitute “two” in place of “four”.

Paragraph (2), as amended, would read as follows:

“(2) That the Protocol be reviewed at least every two years at the same time as the Council reviews its codes of conduct for councillors and staff.”

Following the debate on the amendment, it was put to the vote and was lost. Under the Remote Meetings Protocol, a roll call was taken to record the vote on the amendment, the results of which were 1 councillor voting in favour, 33 against, and 7 abstentions, as follows:

Following the vote on the amendment, the Council

RESOLVED:

(1)     That the draft revised Protocol on Councillor/Officer Relations, attached as Appendix 2 to the report submitted to the Council, be adopted subject to the following amendment to paragraph 10.1 of the Protocol:

 “10.1     All confidential information held by the Council, in whatever form, remains confidential to the Council and subject to the requirements of the Data Protection regulations, unless and until such confidentiality is waived by the Monitoring Officer. Any dispute will be determined by the Monitoring Officer in consultation with the Corporate Governance and Standards Committee”.

(2)        That the Protocol be reviewed at least every four years at the same time as the Council reviews its codes of conduct for councillors and staff.

Reasons:

·       To ensure that properly reviewed and up to date guidance is made available to councillors and officers.

·       To ensure that the Protocol is kept under review at least every four years

Under the Remote Meetings Protocol, a roll call was taken to record the vote on the substantive motion, the results of which were 37 councillors voting in favour, none against, and 4 abstentions, as follows: