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Ethical Standards and Member Development Committee - Tuesday, 3rd December, 2024 3.00 pm
December 3, 2024 View on council websiteSummary
The meeting on 3 December 2024 of Sandwell Council's Ethical Standards and Member Development Committee was scheduled to include a review of recent complaints and allegations made against councillors, the annual review of the register of councillors' interests and a report on the work of the committee in 2024-25.
Complaints and Allegations Update
The committee was scheduled to receive an update on all the complaints and allegations made against councillors since the last meeting of the committee.
An appendix to the report details 13 recent complaints. Some details of these complaints are included in the table below.
| Case Ref | Complainant | Ground for complaint | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| MC151223 | Member of the public | It is alleged that the subject member has breached the code of conduct. |
Breach confirmed. To be dealt with by local resolution |
| MC310124 | Members of the public | It is alleged that the subject member has breached the code of conduct. |
Breach confirmed. Apology to be issued to the complainants. |
| MC010224 | Monitoring Officer1 | It is alleged that the subject member has breached the code of conduct. |
Breach confirmed. Informal resolution being implemented. Cllr to receive training. |
| MC120924 | Officer | It is alleged that the subject member has breached the code of conduct. |
Insufficient evidence to support an investigation. |
| MC041024 | Member of the public | It is alleged that the subject member has breached the code of conduct. |
Local resolution agreed. Undertaking provided. Cllr to offer written apology and undertake GDPR training. |
Annual Review – Register of Members’ Interests
The committee was scheduled to review the [Register of Members’ Interests][07 - Annual Review - Register of Members Interests]. The Register of Members' Interests is a list of the financial and other interests of councillors. It is a public document that helps to ensure transparency and accountability in local government.
The report notes that:
As part of the rollout of the Modern.gov committee management system, a self-serve option had been developed and implemented whereby members are able to directly access and update their registers.
Ethical Standards and Member Development Committee Work Programme 2024-25
The committee was scheduled to note its work programme for 2024-25.
The work programme includes a number of items, including:
- Reviewing the Member Code of Conduct and the arrangements for dealing with complaints under the code
- Reviewing the Committee on Standards in Public Life’s best practice recommendations
- Considering an annual report of the Ethical Standards and Member Development Committee
- Discussing Member Portal updates
- Discussing personal safety for elected members
- Discussing networking opportunities with neighbouring authorities
- Reviewing independent persons (recruitment and remuneration)
- Reviewing the duty to promote high standards of conduct
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The Monitoring Officer of a local authority is a statutory officer appointed under the terms of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. The Monitoring Officer's role is to report on matters relating to the conduct of councillors and officers, and to be responsible for the receipt and handling of complaints made about such matters. ↩
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