Minutes:
The Member Services Manager reported that the Council’s Independent Remuneration Panel which had recently reviewed the Members’ Allowances Scheme had recommended that the Council through its Standards Committee should consider putting in place appropriate arrangements for monitoring Members’ performance. This recommendation was approved by full Council on 26th April, 2005. The Panel recognised that the majority of Members carried out their roles and responsibilities fully and conscientiously but that there were a small minority who did not. Rather than tailor the Members’ Allowances Scheme with these Members in mind, the Panel was of the view that appropriate performance monitoring arrangements should be put in place which would address the matter of Members who failed the meet the standards expected.
It was suggested that the first step in this process might be to ensure that there were clear roles and responsibilities set for Members so that they were certain about what was expected of them and, secondly, that there were relevant, practical, accurate and objective indicators against which Members’ performance might be measured.
In November 1999 the then Cabinet Committee had approved revised roles and responsibilities for Members and a number of indicators against which Members’ performance could be measured. It was proposed that these should be reviewed to ensure that the roles and responsibilities were still accurate and relevant and the performance indicators were objective and measurable. The performance indicators also need to be reviewed to determine whether they should be added to and/or deleted; how they might be recorded/collected; to whom they should be reported, the frequency of those reports and what action, if any, should be taken in respect of those Members who did not meet the agreed standards.
It was suggested that the Committee might wish to consult the Group Leaders and other Members of the Council on these issues and with this in mind it might wish to appoint a small Member Panel to be charged with undertaking this exercise and reporting back its proposals to the Committee for consideration.
Resolved - That a Panel comprising the following Members be appointed to draw up proposals for monitoring Members’ performance for submission to the Standards Committee for consideration:-
Elected Members
Councillors Michael Holledge, Pauline Key, Mewa Mann and Wexham Court Parish Councillor Barbara Turner.
Independent Co-opted Members
Messrs Fred Ashmore and Mike Field.