The Standards Committee of Wiltshire Council scheduled a meeting to discuss code of conduct complaints, constitutional changes, and appointments to sub-committees and working groups. The meeting was also scheduled to cover a status report on code of conduct complaints, and proposed changes to the constitution.

Constitutional Changes

The Standards Committee was scheduled to consider proposed changes to Part 2 and Part 9 of the Constitution, following a decision by the Full Council on 20 May 2025 to include a Finance and Procurement Select Committee to the council's Overview and Scrutiny committee structure.

The Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee had previously agreed to a division of responsibilities between itself and the new Finance and Procurement Select Committee:

• Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee: Council Business Plan, council performance and risk, resources directorate and other corporate services and issues, call-in of executive decisions, receiving referrals from Full Council, partnerships under the Police and Criminal Justice Act 2006, OS work programme management, OS Annual Report, OS training and operational protocols, OS national developments, and OS remuneration fund scheme.
• Finance and Procurement Select Committee: Annual Budget and amendments, Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS), revenue and capital budget monitoring, Treasury Management Strategy, major contract finances, procurement and commissioning, and key budget savings/risks.

The proposed changes to the constitution reflect the comments of the Constitution Focus Group, which considered the matter on 16 June 2025. The changes include amendments to Part 2 Article 6, clarifying the responsibilities of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee and the role of select committees. A further amendment to Part 2 Article 6 removes the current reference to OS Management Committee itself undertaking scrutiny of financial matters, as this work would in future be assigned by OS Management Committee to the Finance and Procurement Select Committee. A minor amendment to Part 9 Financial Regulations was also proposed to remove reference to OS Management Committee itself undertaking a financial scrutiny role.

Status Report on Code of Conduct Complaints

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the code of conduct complaints received by the council since the last meeting. Between 1 April 2025 and 16 June 2025, the Monitoring Officer received 11 complaints under codes of conduct:

• Three were dismissed by the Monitoring Officer under paragraph 4.2.8 of Protocol 11¹.
• Two were dismissed by the Monitoring Officer under paragraph 3.4.2 due to the allegations having related to a councillor acting in their private capacity.
• One was awaiting confirmation from the Complainant that they wish to proceed.
• Five were awaiting assessment by the Monitoring Officer.

Of the 11 code of conduct complaints received during the reported timeframe:

• Five were against parish councillors, relating to bullying and intimidation, not complying with a previous Hearing Sub-Committee sanction, failure to declare an interest in a planning matter, and disrespectful behaviour at meeting (x2).
• Three were against a town councillor, relating to disrespectful behaviour at meeting (x2), and inappropriate comments outside a polling station.
• Three were against unitary councillors, relating to untrue remarks about a road safety petition, disrespectful behaviour in a public house, and comments stating they would break the law.

No breaches of the Code of Conduct had been determined by the Monitoring Officer or Hearing Sub-Committee during the period reported.

The council aims to assess all code of conduct complaints within 5 working days of receiving the subject member's response. During the period reported, six complaints were assessed by or on behalf of the Monitoring Officer, taking an average of 8.8 working days.

Appointment of Members to the Sub-Committees and Working Groups

The Standards Committee was scheduled to appoint the membership of the Standards Assessment Sub-Committee for the upcoming year. The Sub-Committee is comprised of five members or substitute members of the Standards Committee, with all other members or substitute members acting as substitutes for the Sub-Committee. The Sub-Committee is not subject to the requirements of political balance but is subject to a requirement of a maximum of four elected members from any political group.

The committee was also scheduled to confirm the terms of reference for the Constitution Focus Group and the standards representative on the Focus Group for the forthcoming year. The membership is proposed to continue to include representatives of each political group on the council, as well as representatives of the Standards, Audit and Governance, and Overview and Scrutiny Management Committees, as well as the Chairman of the Council.