Council and councillors

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors O Hemsley, L Stephenson, and S Webb.

To confirm the minutes of the Conduct Committee held on 22 March 2022 and receive an update on actions agreed in the minutes of the previous meeting.

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 22 March 2022.

It was moved by Councillor S Harvey and seconded that the minutes be approved. Upon being put to the vote, with 3 votes in favour and 1 abstention the motion was carried.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the meeting held on 22 March 2022 be APROVED.

In accordance with the Regulations, Members are invited to declare any disclosable interests under the Code of Conduct and the nature of those interests in respect of items on this Agenda and/or indicate if Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 applies to them.

There were no declarations of intertest.

To receive any petitions, deputations and questions received from members of the public in accordance with the provisions of Procedure Rules 93 and 94.

No petitions, deputations or questions had been received from Members of the Public.

To consider any questions received from Members of the Council in accordance with the provisions of Procedure Rule 95.

No questions from Members had been received.

To consider any Notices of Motion from Members submitted under Procedure Rule 97.

No notices of motion had been received.

a)    The Committee is recommended to determine whether the public and press be excluded from the meeting in accordance with Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended, and in accordance with the Access to Information provisions of Procedure Rule 181, as the following item of business is likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

Paragraph 1: Information relating to any individual.

b)    To resolve that if the Press and Public be excluded, then any Elected Members who may be present and who are not Members of the Committee, should too be excluded from the meeting in accordance with Procedure Rule 181.

It was moved by J Burrows and seconded that the press and public be excluded from the meeting in accordance with Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended, and in accordance with the Access to Information provisions of Procedure Rule 181, as the following item of business was likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

Upon being put to the vote, with 4 votes in favour the motion was unanimously carried.

RESOLVED

1)    That the press and public be excluded from the meeting in accordance with Section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended, and in accordance with the Access to Information provisions of Procedure Rule 181, as the following item of business was likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

To receive Report No. 24/2022 from the Director for Legal and Governance.

Report No. 24/2023 was recieved from Sarah Khawaja, Legal Services Manager and Deputy Monitoring Officer, the report set out details regarding the 12 conduct complaints received regarding Rutland County Councillors and Parish/Town Councillors within the county during the 2022-2023 financial year.

It was noted that most complaints received were regarding Town or Parish Councillors and this was the focus of remedial action being undertaken which aimed to reduce the number of complaints received in the future.

It was moved by Councillor K Bool and seconded that the report and its contents be noted, upon being put to the vote, with four votes in favour the motion was unanimously carried.

RESOLVED

1)    That the Committee NOTE the report.

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The Chair returned the meeting to a public session and Councillor J Burrows and Gordon Grimes, Independent Person, left the meeting at 19:28

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To consider any other urgent business at the discretion of the person

presiding provided that it has been previously notified to them.

There were no items of urgent business for consideration. Although Members were informed that a small review of the arrangements for dealing with conduct complaints was underway and was intended to improve the initial assessment method for complaints in line with Local Government Association Guidance.

The next meeting will take place in the 2023-24 municipal year.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Committee would take place in the 2023-24 municipal year.