Agenda and minutes

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Contact: Martin Newton
tel.no.: 020 7332 3154  Email: martin.newton@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Deputy Kevin Everett and Dan Large (Co-opted Member).

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

2.

MEMBERS' DECLARATIONS UNDER THE CODE OF CONDUCT IN RESPECT OF ITEMS ON THE AGENDA

Minutes:

There were no declarations.

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

3.

Policy and Guidance on Dispensations under the Localism Act 2011 pdf icon PDF 54 KB

Joint report of the Town Clerk and the Comptroller and City Solicitor.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 3.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received a joint report of the Town Clerk and the Comptroller and City Solicitor setting out the details of the Standards Committee Working Party’s draft future policy and guidance on dispensations, revisions to the dispensation request application form and proposed decision notices.

 

The Chairman gave a presentation on the background to the Working Party and highlighted some key areas to help focus discussion as follows:

 

Consistency

The Chairman highlighted that this was a theme throughout and that the Working Party itself had been formed after the Standards Committee had been made aware of concerns amongst Members regarding consistency in the granting of dispensations.

 

He stated that the production of a policy around dispensations was, in itself, a consistency measure which it was hoped would give a clear structure to what would hopefully be a clear and detailed process.

 

The Chairman reported that, whilst the Dispensations Sub Committee had always been in existence, in the past, some applications for dispensation had been considered under urgency procedures and some by the Standards Committee as a whole. It was intended that, going forward, this would be revised with the role of the Dispensations Sub Committee maximised. He added, however, that the timeliness of applications would be key to achieving this.

 

Another consistency measured proposed was the election of three members of the Standards Committee, one or another of whom would always chair the Dispensations Sub-Committee.

 

Application Form

The Chairman continued by stating that the application form was also designed with consistency in mind. Relevant prior decisions could be cited and considered in the new form and Officers would also seek to identify and cite these in their covering reports to the Dispensations Sub Committee.

 

The new form was designed to directly correspond with the new Guidance and Policy. The Chairman explained

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

4.

Questions on matters relating to the work of the Committee

Minutes:

There were no additional questions.

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

Any Other Business that the Chairman considers urgent

Minutes:

There were no additional, urgent items of business for consideration.

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.