Issue - meetings
Constitution Review – Member/ Officer Relations’ Protocol
Meeting: 19/10/2017 - Standards Advisory Committee (Item 3)
3 Constitution Review – Member/ Officer Relations’ Protocol PDF 100 KB
General Purposes Committee on 5th July 2017 agreed to review the Member/Officer Relations’ Protocol. This report presents a revised Member/Officer Relations’ Protocol for recommendation to Council and addresses the Best Value Programme Review Board consideration for a Member to Member protocol.
Additional documents:
- Enc. 1 for Constitution Review – Member/ Officer Relations’ Protocol, item 3
PDF 232 KB
- Enc. 2 for Constitution Review – Member/ Officer Relations’ Protocol, item 3
PDF 42 KB
Minutes:
Members noted:
· That the report concerned member-officer related matter and the relationships between them.
· That and additional section (Section 4) had been added as a result of the SOLACE programme on organisational culture.
· That the Member/Officer Relations Protocol would, subject to approval by Council, replace the previous protocol. If adopted by Council the protocol would be cascaded to all officers.
Members discussed the report and highlighted the following matters:
- That the Committee had requested immediate training on officer/member protocol and that this matter be prioritised.
- The style of the protocol should be impartial and any emotive language revised.
- There needed to be guidance on what the relationship between Members and political advisors should be and whether these officers should be involved in political business. The Committee was advised that advisors should not be involved in party political business. However this matter would be investigated and guidance provided to Members.
- Political advisors should be exempted from paragraph 7.2 of the protocol.
- The legal framework around the allocation of political advisors.
- Some officers appeared to exhibit a politicised approach in regard to how information was communicated to councillors and this affected Members ability to review decision making. Members asked that there should be opportunity for transparency.
- Councillor behaviour at times did not reflect that expected by the protocol.
- Guidance on Officer Advice (S7) had not been circulated to all councillors. The Corporate Director agreed that this would be addressed.
RESOLVED
1. That the recommendation to Council for approval the revised draft Member/ Officer Relations’ Protocol at Appendix 1 be endorsed; and
- That it be noted that revised draft Member/ Officer Relations’ Protocol has been reviewed at the Standards Advisory Committee on 19th October 2017.
Meeting: 12/10/2017 - General Purposes Committee (Item 4)
4 Constitution Review – Member/ Officer Relations’ Protocol PDF 100 KB
General Purposes Committee on 5th July 2017 agreed to review the Member/Officer Relations’ Protocol. This report presents a revised Member/Officer Relations’ Protocol for recommendation to Council and addresses the Best Value Programme Review Board consideration for a Member to Member protocol.
Additional documents:
- Enc. 1 for Constitution Review – Member/ Officer Relations’ Protocol, item 4
PDF 232 KB
- Enc. 2 for Constitution Review – Member/ Officer Relations’ Protocol, item 4
PDF 42 KB
Minutes:
Paul Greeno, Senior Corporate and Governance Lawyer introduced the report which presented a revised Member/Officer Relations’ Protocol for recommendation to Council and addressed the Best Value Programme Review Board consideration for a Member to Member protocol.
Members of the Committee indicated they would appreciate feedback on the SOLACE Programme referred to within the report.
Asmat Hussain, Corporate Director, Governance outlined a number of ways the new Protocol will be promoted to Council officers and Members, including the Council’s Intranet and staff newsletter.
RESOLVED:
That the General Purposes Committee:
1. Recommends to Council for approval the revised draft Member/ Officer Relations’ Protocol at Appendix 1; and
2. Noted that revised draft Member/ Officer Relations’ Protocol will also be reviewed at the Standards Advisory Committee on 19th October 2017.