The meeting on 21 October 2024 was of the Standards Committee. The agenda included a range of topics relating to standards and conduct of councillors at Camden Council. The committee were scheduled to receive a report on complaints about councillors in 2023-24, agree the categories of Statutory Disclosable Pecuniary Interests for which a dispensation could be granted and review proposed changes to the Register of Interests form.

The most significant item on the agenda was a report that provided an update on complaints about Camden Councillors' conduct. The report included for discussion the fact that there had been eleven complaints about councillors' conduct between June 2023 and June 2024. The report explains that:

The Borough Solicitor and an Independent Person decided that none of the complaints required a formal investigation as the behaviour described in the complaints would not have constituted a breach of the Code of Conduct.

The report goes on to explain that no decisions made by the Borough Solicitor not to investigate a complaint were successfully appealed to the Local Government Ombudsman.

Also on the agenda was a report asking the committee to approve the existing range of standard dispensations available to councillors, and to add to that list making local arrangements for council tax support. The report explains that:

The Act also gives the Council the power to grant dispensations from the prohibition on Members participating in or voting on those matters where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest.

The report asked the committee to delegate the authority to grant dispensations to the Borough Solicitor. The report explains that once the committee have made their decision, the Borough Solicitor will:

...write to all Members outlining that it is proposed to grant the agreed categories of dispensation upon application, with Members able to respond via email confirming that they wish to apply for such dispensation.

Also on the agenda of the meeting was a report asking the committee to consider adopting a revised Register of Interests form for councillors. The report explains the rationale for the proposed change, saying:

The Council’s standard practice has been to leave it to the discretion of the councillor as to whether they wish to draw a distinction between their interests and those of others. This is a legitimate approach to the registering of Members’ interests. However, by explicitly drawing a distinction in the form between the interests of the councillor and relevant others through the use of separate columns, councillors would have a prompt to remind them of their obligations and responsibilities to follow the Seven Principles of Public Life, in particular that of openness.

The report asked the committee to approve the new form, and to request that the Borough Solicitor circulate the new form to councillors and update the website.

Also on the agenda was a report providing an update on a range of standards matters. This included an update from the Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) and a number of recent high-profile standards investigations at other councils, including:

• Teignbridge District Council
• Ashfield District Council
• Hartlepool Borough Council
• Tower Hamlets Council
• South Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council
• Warwickshire County Council

The report includes a comment on the case at Tower Hamlets, in which a sexual entertainment venue operator, Santosh Nair, alleged that a councillor sought to elicit a bribe from him. The report explains that:

Where a complaint is made against a councillor, the Borough Solicitor has delegated authority, in consultation with an Independent Person, to decide whether to progress this to investigation. An allegation of eliciting a bribe could be considered as a potential breach of the Code of Conduct obligations not bring the local authority into disrepute and not to use, or attempt to use, the councillor’s position improperly to their advantage.

The final report on the agenda was a record of all of the standards and conduct guidance that had been issued to councillors. The report explains that this is being provided to the committee in accordance with one of their terms of reference, which says that the Standards Committee is responsible for:

“Agreeing guidance for councillors on matters related to conduct to be distributed to them and when they deem it appropriate included as part of the constitutional guidance”.

Agenda frontsheet 21st-Oct-2024 18.30 Standards Committee Public reports pack 21st-Oct-2024 18.30 Standards Committee Complaints report General Dispensation Register of Interests Standards Updates - 21 October 2024 Standards Information and Guidance Record 21 October 2024