Agenda and draft minutes

Venue: 0.01 Chamber - Quadrant, The Silverlink North, Cobalt Business Park, North Tyneside, NE27 0BY. View directions

Contact: Joanne Holmes 

Items
No. Item

4.

Appointment of Substitute Members

To be notified of the appointment of any Substitute Members.

Minutes:

There were no substitute members.

5.

Declarations of Interest

You are invited to declare any registerable and/or non-registerable interests in matters appearing on the agenda, and the nature of that interest.

 

Please complete the Declarations of Interests card available at the meeting and return it to the Democratic Services Officer before leaving the meeting.

 

You are also invited to disclose any dispensation from the requirement to declare any registerable and/or non-registerable interests that have been granted to you in respect of any matters appearing on the agenda.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest or dispensations reported.

  

6.

Exclusion Resolution

“That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) and having applied a public interest test as defined in Part 2 of Schedule 12A of the Act, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.”

Minutes:

Resolved that under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) and having applied a public interest test as defined in Part 2 of Schedule 12A of the Act, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

7.

Code of Conduct for Members' and Co-opted Members - Complaint NT11 2018-19

To consider a report of the Investigating Officer’s completed investigation into Complaint NT11 2018-19 in accordance with the Authority’s Local Arrangements for dealing with Complaints made under the Code of Conduct for Members and Co-opted Members.

Minutes:

The Standards Sub-Committee received a report which presented the Investigating Officer’s completed investigation into Complaint NT11 2018-19.

 

The Authority’s Local Arrangements for the consideration of complaints made against Members under the Code of Conduct for Members and Co-opted Members at Appendix 1 to the report, required that a completed investigation report be received by the Standards Committee/Sub-Committee to determine the action to be taken with respect to the Complaint.

 

The final report of the Investigating Officer into Complaint NT011 2018-19 was attached at Appendix 2 to the report. The Investigating Officer had found in his report that no breach of the Code of Conduct for Members and Co-opted Members had occurred in relation to this complaint.  In considering the report, the Standards Sub-Committee was required to consult with the Authority’s Independent Persons, one of which was in attendance at the meeting.  The Sub-committee had also received written comments from another of the Independent Person.      

 

The Sub-Committee examined the Investigating Officer’s report and the conclusion.  There was some discussion about the use of social media and the extent to which members are acting in their capacity as a Councillor in any use of social media.  It was noted that the investigating officer had provided a detailed analysis of the current law in this area.  Members accepted the findings of the Investigating Officer. 

 

Resolved that (1) the findings of the Investigating Officer that no breach of the Code of Conduct for Members and Co-opted Members had occurred in relation to Complaint NT11.2018-19 be accepted; and

 

(2) the Monitoring Officer be instructed to write to the Subject Member and to the Complainant to notify them both that the Sub-Committee was satisfied no further action was required, and provide both with a copy of the Investigating Officer’s final report.