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Agenda and minutes

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Contact: Annette Wiles 020 8726 6000 x64877  Email: annette.wiles@croydon.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1/20

Minutes of the Previous Meeting pdf icon PDF 47 KB

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 16 and 20 May 2019 as an accurate record.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The minutes of the meetings held on 16 May 2019 and 20 May 2019 were agreed as an accurate record.

2/20

Urgent Business (if any)

To receive notice of any business not on the agenda which in the opinion of the Chair, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.

Minutes:

There were no items of urgent business.

3/20

Proposed Update to the Scheme of Co-Option pdf icon PDF 587 KB

For Members to consider the proposed amendments to the Scheme of Co-option and Code of Conduct for Co-opted Members.

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director of Resources and Monitoring Officer that recommended changes to the Scheme of Co-option, Part 6D of the Constitution in order to set out the relevant rules for all co-optees in one document and to incorporate the previously agreed Code of Conduct for Co-opted Members into the Constitution.

 

In considering the report, Members noted the processes for recruiting and dismissing Co-opted Members onto Council Committees, Sub-Committees and Task and Finish Working Groups.

 

The Committee requested that, should the recommendations to Council be approved, all current Co-opted Members be notified about the updated Scheme of Co-option and offered induction and training sessions to support them in their roles in addition to any specialist training they have already received.

 

RESOLVED:  That Council be recommended to:

1.1         Adopt the amendments to the Scheme of Co-Option within Part 6D of Constitution as detailed in appendix 1 of the report;

1.2         Adopt the amendments to the Code of Conduct for Non-Voting
Co-optees as detailed in the report and to include it within the Constitution as an Appendix to Part 6D of the Constitution; and

1.3         Adopt the amendments to Code of Conduct for Members within Part 5I of the Constitution as detailed in appendix 2 of the report to confirm the application of the Code to representatives of the Pensions Board.

4/20

Recruitment And Appointment of Independent Persons pdf icon PDF 91 KB

For Members to consider recruitment to a pool of up to three Independent Persons.

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director of Resources and Monitoring Officer that updated the Committee on succession planning to ensure that the Council had appointed sufficient Independent Persons as required under the Localism Act and as required under the Staff Employment Procedure Rules that form Part 4J of the Council’s Constitution. 

 

The report also recommended the Committee to authorise the Monitoring Officer to commence a recruitment process to increase the number of Independent Persons appointed by the Council and detailed the recruitment process for such appointments.

 

RESOLVED: That

1.1         The Monitoring Officer be delegated authority to commence a recruitment process in line with section 28 of the Localism Act 2011 for the appointment of additional Independent Persons to a pool comprising up to five Independent Persons;

1.2         Subject to their agreement, Council be recommended to reappoint Anne Smith and Ashok Kumar as Independent Persons for a further term of four years from May 2020;

1.3         A Selection Panel be established for the purposes of selection and recommendation back to the Committee of up to three further Independent Persons for appointment as detailed within the report; and

1.4         The Selection Panel will comprise three Members of the Committee, namely the Chair and two further Members to be nominated by the Committee with advisory support to be provided by the Monitoring Officer and a current Independent Person.

5/20

Recent Case Law pdf icon PDF 69 KB

For Members to note the outcome of recent case law and developments in relation to Councillor conduct.

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director of Resources and Monitoring Officer that detailed the outcome of recent case law and developments in relation to councillor conduct since 20 May 2019.

 

The Committee heard details of the work of the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL), including the production of short films about the Nolan Principles; a review of artificial intelligence and its impact on standards; and the announcement of a new approach to tackling intimidation in public life.

 

Members also noted that the CSPL had published a review of political parties’ codes of conduct and received an update in relation to the Government’s response to the CSPL report on Local Government Ethics.

 

RESOLVED: That the outcome of recent case law and developments in relation to councillor conduct since 20 May 2019 be noted.

6/20

Dispensation Applications for Members pdf icon PDF 60 KB

To receive the report of the Executive Director of Resources & Monitoring Officer on Members' dispensations for consideration, if any are received.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

No requests for personal dispensations were received.

7/20

Work Programme pdf icon PDF 58 KB

To consider the Committee work programme for the remainder of the Municipal Year.

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report detailing its Work Programme for the remainder of the 2019/20 Municipal Year.

 

RESOLVED: That the Work Programme as detailed within the report be AGREED.

8/20

Exclusion of the Press and Public

The following motion is to be moved and seconded where it is proposed to exclude the press and public from the remainder of a meeting:

 

“That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information falling within those paragraphs indicated in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended.”

Minutes:

As no requests for personal dispensations had been received by the Committee, this item therefore fell.

9/20

Dispensation Applications for Members

To receive the report of the Executive Director of Resources & Monitoring Officer on Members' dispensations for consideration, if any are received.

Minutes:

As no requests for personal dispensations had been received by the Committee, this item therefore fell.

10/20

Disclosure of Interests

In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct and the statutory provisions of the Localism Act, Members and co-opted Members of the Council are reminded that it is a requirement to register disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) and gifts and hospitality to the value of which exceeds £50 or multiple gifts and/or instances of hospitality with a cumulative value of £50 or more when received from a single donor within a rolling twelve month period. In addition, Members and co-opted Members are reminded that unless their disclosable pecuniary interest is registered on the register of interests or is the subject of a pending notification to the Monitoring Officer, they are required to disclose those disclosable pecuniary interests at the meeting. This should be done by completing the Disclosure of Interest form and handing it to the Democratic Services representative at the start of the meeting. The Chair will then invite Members to make their disclosure orally at the commencement of Agenda item 3. Completed disclosure forms will be provided to the Monitoring Officer for inclusion on the Register of Members’ Interests.

Minutes:

There were none.