Minutes:
The Committee was advised that since the appointment of the Standards (Local Determination) Sub-Committee in January, 2005 three complaints had been referred to the Monitoring Officer by the Standards Board for England for investigation and subsequent determination by the Sub-Committee. One complaint had already been determined by the Sub-Committee and the other two complaints were to be heard in July.
Due to the timetable set by the Standards Board for England for the consideration of referred complaints and the crowded calendar of Council meetings it had been difficult to identify dates which all the Members of the Sub-Committee could attend. The quorum of the Sub-Committee was three Members, two of whom had to be non-elected independent Members. In the event of one of the independent Members whose turn it was to serve on the Sub-Committee being unable to attend there was the danger that if one of the other independent Members could not attend due to sickness or some other unforeseen circumstance the Sub-Committee would not be quorate.
To avoid this happening it was proposed that in the event of a Member of the Sub-Committee being unable to attend a meeting another Member of the pool of appointed Members should be asked to attend in his/her place. If an independent Member was unable to attend, the remaining independent Member in the pool would be appointed in his/her place. In the event of an elected Member being unable to attend the remaining elected Member or independent Member in the pool, in that order, would be appointed in his/her place.
Resolved -
(a) That the proposed amendment to the constitution of the Standards (Local Determination) Sub-Committee now proposed be approved and adopted.
Recommended –
(b) That the Council’s Constitution be amended to reflect the above change in the Standards (Local Determination) Sub-Committee’s constitution.