Agenda item
Members' Attendance and Timesheets Monitoring (To Follow)
- Meeting of Standards Advisory Committee, Tuesday, 21st October, 2014 7.30 p.m. (Item 36.)
- View the background to item 36.
To note the monitoring information set out in the report and consider whether any further action is required by the SAC Chair in connection with it.
Minutes:
Matthew Mannion (Committee Services Manager) Introduced and summarised key points in the report, which provided an update on a range of matters related to Councillors attendance at formal meetings and training events, completion of timesheets and the Register of Interests.
He informed SAC Members that he had Tabled an updated version of Appendix 1 to the report “Members Monthly Timesheets – Summary of Returns” which reflected the most current information, a copy of which would be interleaved with the minutes.
The Clerk informed the Chair that Councillor Denise Jones had asked for her sincere apologies for not having completed timesheets ( which was disrupted by the Citrix system being down on 21 October) to be relayed to SAC.
A discussion followed which focused on the following points:-
· SAC referenced discussion earlier in the proceedings [agenda item 3.4 “Update on the Democracy and Governance Web-pages and related technology”] which was pertinent to this agenda item.
· SAC members were content with the need for transparency from elected Members [in demonstrating their undertaking of activities to fulfil the expected time commitment for this position.
· SAC members were content for the SAC Chair to write to Members who failed to completed timesheets asking them to do so.
· The Chair commented that he would like paragraphs 4.1- 4.3 of the report, which set out the context for the requirement on Members to complete timesheets, to be uploaded to the appropriate page/s of the LBTH website for information. Matthew Mannion undertook to do so expeditiously.
· Referencing para 6.3 of the report the Chair commented that it may be helpful for the SAC to write to those Members failing to provide a nil return in response if there were no changes to the 6 month reminder to update the Register of Member Interests, as it would be a matter encompassed by the Member Code of Conduct if, should events occur which identified an interest perceived to be prejudicial, and it came to light that the Member should have, but had not, updated the Register. Clarification was also sought as to interests that should be declared on the Register. Meic Sullivan-Gould advised that the 6 month reminder did not cover the issue of Disclosable Pecuniary Interest (DPI). Members were required to notify the Monitoring Officer of DPIs within 28 days else a criminal offence would have been committede, which would be referred to the Director of Public Prosecutions. A wider class of interests e.g. membership of a charitable board also needed to be disclosed in the interest of public transparency, and a provision could be implemented for Members to declare these at meetings.
· Noting the Officer response, consideration that Members should declare non-pecuniary interests generally not just at meetings of the Authority, as with trustees of charities, even although this was not a requirement following the Localism Act 2012, because these could be perceived to influence decision making. Consideration also that such interests should be identifiable from a working definition rather than a list. Meic Sullivan-Gould advised that the principle of selflessness in public life could be seen as a basis for such a requirement for LBTH Members were to declare such interests, so far as they were aware of them, as failure to be transparent regarding a private interest could later be seen to be prejudicial to decision making.
The Chair Moved the recommendations, as set out in the report; and it was: -
Resolved:
1. That the information set out in Appendices 1, 2 and 3 to the report, in relation to Councillors’ submission of timesheets, attendance at formal meetings and training events, and completion of the register of interests during the current municipal year, be noted;
2. That it be agreed that the SAC receive further monitoring reports at six monthly intervals; and
Action by: John Williams (Service Head Democratic Services, LPG).
Matthew Mannion (Committee Services Manager, LPG)
Supporting documents:
- Members Att and TSht Monitoring Oct 14 LS1410141451pm, item 36. PDF 114 KB
- Updated timesheet report for SAC 21.10.14, item 36. PDF 56 KB