Agenda item

The Member Services Manager submitted for information the Standards Committee’s latest work programme which as instructed by the Committee at its last Meeting had been amended to incorporate the Ethical Governance Action Plan provisions. 

Attention was drawn to the rescheduling of the review of the Committee’s terms of reference from this meeting to the Committee meeting on 31^st March 2008.  The Committee was advised that the expected consultation document  from the Department of Communities and Local Government on arrangements for the proposed local filter for handling complaints was still awaited.  It was expected that the introduction of the “local filter” would result in changes having to be made to the Standards Committee’s constitution and by deferring this matter it would avoid the Committee making amendments to its terms of reference and/or constitution in a piecemeal fashion.

In considering the work programme the Committee also agreed that the informal training session on a selected Standards Board for England case study which was to be held after this meeting should be deferred until the 16^th June, 2008.

A Member requested that when the Officers submitted the Member Performance Monitoring Data for 2007/08, the report should include a separate analysis of the attendance of Members at meetings of the  Standards Committee.  He argued that, as the Committee was responsible for monitoring Members’ attendance, its Members’ attendance record should be seen to be exemplary. 

Resolved -  

(a)  That the work programme for the Committee as now amended be noted and approved.

(b)  That the Members’ Performance Monitoring Report to be submitted in October 2008 include a separate analysis of Members’ attendance at meetings of the Standards Committee during 2007/2008.