Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 5 July 2021.

The Minutes (copies of which had been circulated) of the meeting held on 5 July 2021 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Members and Officers to declare any interests which they may have in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

Councillors and Officers were invited to declare any interests which they may have had in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made.

To report any urgent action taken under the Constitution since the last meeting of the Committee.

No urgent decisions were reported.

Members of the public are invited to put questions to the Chair on any matters within the powers and duties of the Committee, subject to the exclusions set out in the Code of Practice. (Questions must be submitted no later than prior to the commencement of the meeting) You can also submit via the Council’s website at www.stockport.gov.uk/publicquestions).

No public questions were submitted.

To consider a report of the Monitoring Officer

The report considers what general dispensations ought to be granted to councillors to allow them to participate in council business where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest or personal and prejudicial interest that might otherwise preclude them from consideration of particular decisions.

The Standards Committee is requested to grant the dispensations as outlined in Section 4.1 of the report, to all councillors to allow them to participate at Council Meeting and Council committees.

Officer Contact: Vicki Bates on 0161 474 3219 or email: vicki.bates@stockport.gov.uk

The Strategic Head of Service and Monitoring Officer submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) which considered what general dispensations ought to be granted to councillors to allow them to participate in council business where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest or personal and prejudicial interest that might otherwise preclude them from consideration of particular decisions.

The following comments were made/issues raised:

·         The Monitoring Officer clarified that this report was in relation to dispensations and whether they should be granted for a further four years.  There was also a further clarification paragraph which related to the Mayoral Development Corporation and that the dispensations required for the Mayoral Development Corporation were not covered in this report.

·         In response to a Member question, the Monitoring Officer clarified that the school governors mentioned in the report referred to all types of governors.

1.1.    RESOLVED - That the Standards Committee grant the following dispensations to all councillors to allow them to participate at Council Meeting and Council committees:-

To consider a report of the Monitoring Officer.

The report updates the Standards Committee on the current position regarding the LGA’s Model Code of Conduct for Councillors, the guidance that has bee issued to support the Model in order to assist the Standards Committee in deciding whether it wishes to recommend the adoption of the LGA Model Code to the Council.

Standards Committee is requested to consider whether to recommend to the Constitution Working Party that the new Model of Conduct be adopted.

Officer Contact: Vicki Bates on 0161 474 3219 or email: vicki.bates@stockport.gov.uk

The Strategic Head of Service and Monitoring Officer submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) which updated the Standards Committee on the current position regarding the LGA’s Model Code of Conduct for Councillors, the guidance that has been issued to support the Model in order to assist the Standards Committee in deciding whether it wishes to recommend the adoption of the LGA Model Code to the Council.

The following comments were made/issues raised:

·         The Monitoring Officer confirmed that an additional table would be added into the Interests section of the report to further clarify the situation.

·         The Monitoring Officer sought clarification as to whether Standards Committee would like to retain what was previously called the Local Code in relation to interests where personal and prejudicial interests would be retained.

·         The Monitoring Officer highlighted that this remains a voluntary code.

·         Members considered that the LGA Model Code of Conduct was an improvement on what was already there and as such should be adopted.

·         Members raised the issue of training and reviews.  The Monitoring Officer suggested a briefing of the document at the scrutiny stage of the governance process.  If the document is adopted, training would then be undertaken and it was agreed that Members of the Standards Committee would be able to take part in this training.

RESOLVED – That Standards Committee recommend to the Constitution Working Party that the new Model of Conduct be adopted.