The City and County of Swansea Standards Committee met on Friday, 22 March 2024, to discuss the duties of political group leaders and the training plans for community and town councils. The meeting confirmed that group leaders are taking steps to promote high standards of conduct within their groups and noted the progress on training plans for community and town councils.

Group Leader Duty

The committee met with political group leaders to discuss their responsibilities in promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct among their members, as required by the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021.

Councillor Peter May, Uplands Group Leader, stated that all members of his group are aware of the Code of Conduct and the Nolan Principles, and that potential issues are discussed in weekly meetings. He highlighted an instance where the group prioritised listening to residents' views on a significant ward scheme, setting aside personal opinions to represent the electorate. Regarding training, Councillor May noted that his group had recently completed online safeguarding training and that he had suggested to the Democratic Services Committee that a more efficient system for tracking individual member training be implemented.

Councillor Lyndon Jones, Conservative Group Leader, emphasised the importance of treating all individuals, including officers, fellow councillors, and residents, with respect. He mentioned his own roles as Parliamentary Assessor and a member of the Disciplinary & Parliamentary Committee as experience that aids him in advising group members. Councillor Jones also described his role as Chair of the Education Scrutiny Performance Panel as being a critical friend to the education department, working collaboratively with the Director of Education and the Cabinet Member. He confirmed that there had been no code of conduct issues within his group since he became leader and that he maintained regular contact with the Head of Democratic Services regarding training.

Councillor Chris Holley, Liberal Democrat & Independent Group Leader, explained that his group comprises both Liberal Democrats and Independents. He described a buddy system in place for new councillors, where experienced members mentor newcomers to help them understand the role. Councillor Holley stressed the importance of individual conversations regarding code of conduct issues and confirmed that everyone should be treated with respect, which had led to no code of conduct issues arising in his group in recent years. He noted that some members found the new Oracle Fusion training platform difficult to navigate, but guidance had been provided. Councillor Holley also suggested that some councillors may not fully understand the role of the Standards Committee, and that more formal training on this could be beneficial.

The committee acknowledged the feedback from the group leaders and indicated that they would reflect on the comments made. Councillor Rob Stewart, Labour Group Leader, was unable to attend but will be invited to a future meeting.

Review of Community & Town Council Training Plans

Huw Evans, Head of Democratic Services, provided an update on the publication of training plans for Community and Town Councils. He explained that following previous concerns about the level of financial training available to community councillors, Section 67 of the Local Government & Elections (Wales) Act 2021 now requires these councils to make and publish training plans.

Mr. Evans reported that 23 out of 24 Community and Town Councils in Swansea have adopted and published their training plans. Llangennith, Llanmadoc & Cheriton Community Council has drafted its plan, which is currently out for consultation and is expected to be adopted in early April.

During the discussion, it was clarified that the Standards Committee's role is not to scrutinise the content of these training plans but rather to ensure they are in place. The committee's interest stems from a desire to prevent code of conduct issues by encouraging training, particularly in areas like financial management. The ultimate goal, as stated by Mr. Evans, is for the Standards Committee to have a less busy workload by ensuring councillors are well-trained and avoid potential pitfalls. The committee noted the update.

Breach of Code of Conduct - Complaints made to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW)

This item was for information only. Huw Evans informed the committee that a complaint made against a councillor in Malard CC¹ to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW) was not investigated by the Ombudsman, as it did not meet the required threshold.