Minutes:
The minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 23rd November, 2004 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.
During consideration of the minutes, attention was drawn to Minute 11 and the Committee was advised that a training session on the implications of the Guidance issued by the Standards Board for England on Lobby Groups, Dual-Hatted Members and the Code of Conduct had been held on 13th January but that only eight elected Members had attended. The Committee expressed its extreme disappointment at the poor attendance and the apparent lack of interest shown by Members in this important matter.
In respect of Minute 13 relating to the Monitoring Officer’s investigation into the unauthorised disclosure of the draft Audit Commission’s Report on Overview and Scrutiny in Slough, the Committee was informed that a reply from one Member was still awaited but that from the evidence received to-date it was highly unlikely that the person responsible for the leak would be identified.
The Committee was reminded that within its current agreed work programme was the review of the Council’s Policy Statement on Access to Information incorporating guidance on access to Social Services confidential matters. The Committee was advised that it was proposed to defer consideration of this matter pending receipt of the result of the Government’s current review of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 in the light of other recent legislation relating to the access of information, i.e. the Freedom of Information Act and the Data Protection Act.
In respect of the Freedom of Information Act the Chair of the Committee referred to a recent press article he had read alleging some local authorities had been shredding documents to circumvent the legislation. He reported that he had asked the Monitoring Officer to confirm with the Assistant Chief Executive, Policy and Performance that this would not happen with Slough Borough Council.
Resolved –
(a) That the training session on the Standards Board for England Guidance on Lobby Groups and Dual-Hatted Members and the Code of Conduct be repeated in May/June 2005 and all Members who failed or were unable to attend the training session in January be required to attend this session.
(b) That if no further progress is made in respect of the Monitoring Officer’s investigation into the leak of the Audit Commission’s draft Report on Overview and Scrutiny in Slough no further action be taken on this matter.
(c) That the amendment to the Committee’s current work programme as now reported be noted.