The Standards Committee meeting focused on reviewing protocols, discussing feedback from visits to council meetings, and planning future work. The committee also addressed the need for consistency in gift and hospitality thresholds across Wales.

1. Review of Protocol for Meeting Contractors: The committee agreed that the protocol remains pertinent and only required minor updates to the list of protected characteristics. The discussion highlighted the importance of maintaining clear guidelines to prevent undue influence in council contracting.

2. Review of Members' Code of Conduct: There was a significant discussion about raising the threshold for declaring gifts from £10 to £25 to align with other councils in Wales. The committee favored standardization, but the Constitution and Democratic Services Committee had previously disagreed, preferring to maintain the £10 limit. The Standards Committee decided to escalate the matter to the full council for resolution, emphasizing the need for consistency.

3. Feedback from Council and Committee Meetings: Feedback from visits to various council and committee meetings was discussed. Issues such as members not keeping their cameras on during remote meetings and the need for clearer identification of speakers were raised. The committee agreed to communicate these concerns to improve meeting conduct.

4. Forward Work Program: The committee updated its forward work program, adding future reviews and noting the scheduling of meetings with group leaders to discuss their annual reports concerning the code of conduct.

An interesting point was the discussion about whether group leaders should sit on the Standards Committee, given potential conflicts of interest in assessing their own and others' performance. This matter was flagged for further discussion with group leaders before making any decisions.