Agenda and minutes

Venue: Committee Room, 2nd Floor, West Wing, Guildhall

Contact: Lorraine Brook
tel.no.: 020 7332 1409  Email: lorraine.brook@cityoflondon.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies

Minutes:

Apologies for absence were received from Michael Hudson and Virginia Rounding. 

 ...  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 none.

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

3.

Minutes of the previous meeting pdf icon PDF 142 KB

To agree the minutes of the meeting held on 28th November 2014.

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

Minutes:

The minutes of the previous meeting held on 28th November 2014 were approved as accurate record subject to a correction to paragraph 1, page 3 which should clarify the abbreviation “MIPIM.”

 

 

Resolved:- That the minutes of the meeting held on 28th November 2014 be approved as an accurate record subject to a correction to paragraph 1, page 3 which should clarify the abbreviation “MIPIM” and read as: “MIPIM (Le marché international des professionnels de l’immobilier)…”

 

 

 

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

4.

Minutes- Dispensations Sub (Standards) Committee pdf icon PDF 135 KB

To receive the minutes of the last meeting of the Dispensations Sub (Standards) Committee held on Tuesday, 23rd September 2014.

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

Minutes:

The minutes of the last meeting of the Dispensations Sub (Standards) Committee held on 23rd September 2014 were received.

 

Resolved:- That the minutes of the last meeting of the Dispensations Sub (Standards) Committee held on 23rd September 2014 be noted.

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

5.

Gifts and Hospitality- Ceremonial Officeholders pdf icon PDF 98 KB

A report of the Private Secretary and Chief of Staff relative to the arrangements for ceremonial officeholders in respect of gifts and hospitality.

 

The report was considered by the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen on 10th February 2015. 

 

The Private Secretary & Chief of Staff will be present at the meeting to update the Committee on the views expressed by the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen.

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

Minutes:

Alderman Sir David Wootton was present at the meeting during this item.

 

The Committee considered a report of the Private Secretary and Chief of Staff relative to the arrangements for ceremonial officeholders in respect of gifts and hospitality, which had been considered by the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen on 10th February 2015.  An extract of the minutes of that meeting were tabled for information.

 

The Private Secretary and Chief of Staff advised Members that following the discussion at the last meeting of the Standards Committee, the proposal as at paragraphs 4 and 8 of the report had been developed and submitted to the General Purposes Committee of Aldermen for consideration.  It was noted that a positive discussion has taken place at that meeting and the Committee was broadly supportive of the introduction of the proposed arrangements.  Particular interest had been expressed in identifying a method by which reciprocal gifts were clearly identified on the register.

 

With regards to the receipt of hospitality it was proposed that the same financial thresholds for hospitality apply to the Lord Mayor as for other Members of the Court unless diplomatic, commercial or political sensitivities were a consideration in which case such instances would be brought to the Chairman of the Standards Committee’s attention rather than via the published register.  Some Members queried why only the Chairman would be entitled to view such information and it was therefore agreed that any instances where hospitality was not declared in the public domain would be reported to the Committee in the form of a non-public report.  

 

A Co-opted Member commented on the current requirements on the Government’s ministers and whilst it was noted that full disclosure about the receipt, retention and value of all gifts might be considered ideal, this did not reflect the unique

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

6.

Update- Annual update to the Members' Declarations pdf icon PDF 132 KB

A report of the Town Clerk relative to the annual update exercise to Members’ Declarations which took place in December 2014 following the introduction of new requirements under the Members’ Code of Conduct.

 

Copies of the updated Members’ Declarations are appended in a separately bound volume (Appendix 1).  A list of Members, and confirmation of their annual update status, is attached at Appendix 2.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 6.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk which detailed the outcome of the annual update to the Members’ Declarations which took place in December 2014 following the introduction of new requirements under the Members’ Code of Conduct in respect of the registration of non-pecuniary interests.

 

The Town Clerk referred to the separately circulated Appendix 1 which included copies of all of the updated Members’ Declarations forms which had been received following circulation of the annual reminder to all Members and Co-opted Members in December 2014.  It was noted that as at 11th January 2015, 106 elected Members had responded to the request for updates.  Whilst it was clear that a number of Members had been fastidious about bringing their Registers of Interest up to date ahead of the 1st January 2015 implementation date, the Chairman expressed some concern that some updates had not taken place and in some instances the on-line Registers contained typographical errors and incomplete details pertaining to non-pecuniary interests. 

 

In light of the current position, and given the number of reminders that had been issued by the Town Clerk since December, it was felt that the issue of non-compliance with the registration requirements should  be escalated and a formal communication issued by the Comptroller and City Solicitor, in his capacity as the Monitoring Officer, to all Members.  Given that there were a number of different issues that needed to be highlighted, it was agreed that the following correspondence should be circulated by the Comptroller and City Solicitor as soon as possible:

(i) non-respondents to be sent a request clarifying that a Declaration must be resubmitted to the Town Clerk even in the event that there were no updates to either the individual’s statutory or non-pecuniary interests;

(ii) where a response was

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.

Standards Committee- Terms of Reference and Frequency of Meetings pdf icon PDF 156 KB

A report of the Town Clerk seeking the Committee’s views in respect of its existing terms of reference (Appendix 1), the terms of reference of its sub-committees (Appendix 2); and its future meeting arrangements, ahead of submission to the Court of Common Council on 23rd April 2015.

 

 

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 7.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Members considered a report of the Town Clerk relative to the terms of reference of the Standards Committee and its sub committees and the Committee’s frequency of meetings, ahead of submission to the Court of Common Council on 23rd April 2015 and the start of the new municipal year.

 

It was noted that the terms of reference of the Dispensations Sub (Standards) Committee had not been included in the accompanying appendix to the report but were those as set out on page 45 (Item 8). 

 

It was queried why the membership of the various sub committees was not shown in the accompanying appendix.  The Town Clerk explained that this information was not normally contained in the terms of reference, but confirmed that in each case the membership was three elected Members of the Standards Committee and one non-voting Co-opted Member.  It was noted that the Assessment, Hearing and Appeal Sub Committees were also required to take into account the views of an Independent Person.  It was agreed that the complaints procedure should be brought back to the next meeting of the Standards Committee in order to review the arrangements.  One of the Independent Persons present queried why they did not have a similar role in relation to the Dispensations Sub Committee and was advised that this was not provided for under the Localism Act 2011.  It was agreed that further consideration be given to the provision of training to Members in respect of assessment, hearing and appeals proceedings. 

 

In respect of the existing terms of reference and the format of the White Paper (which would be submitted to the Court of Common Council on 23rd April 2015), it was agreed that the documentation should be consistent when referring to Co-opted Members such that “Co-opted Member” be used rather than

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.

Dispensations Arrangements - Review pdf icon PDF 139 KB

A joint report of the Town Clerk and the Comptroller & City Solicitor detailing the current arrangements in respect of the granting of dispensations by the City of London Corporation to Members who wish to speak and/or vote on matters where they have a relevant interest in land within the City.

 

Appendix 1 sets out the details of all the dispensations that have been approved since 8th February 2013. 

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 8.

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered a joint report of the Town Clerk and the Comptroller and City solicitor regarding the current arrangements in respect of the granting of dispensations by the City of London Corporation to Members who wish to speak and/or vote on matters where they have a relevant interest.

 

A brief note setting out some of the key matters that would be taken into account by the Standards Committee and the Dispensations Sub (Standards) Committee in determining requests for dispensations was tabled by the Comptroller and City Solicitor.

 

With regards to Appendix 1 of the report before the Committee, and which detailed those dispensations that had been granted since the introduction of the Localism Act, some Members noted that there were no details regarding the circumstances of the majority of dispensations that had been granted.  The Comptroller and City Solicitor confirmed that these block dispensations had been granted to Members where they were likely to consider housing and Council Tax matters (and had a relevant interest in land within the City) in order to emulate the exemptions under the previous standards regime.  It was noted that more recent individualised applications had led to the current approach to considering requests, whereby a Member had to submit a detailed written request setting out the reasons for the request and how long the dispensation was required for.  Members endorsed this approach in all cases and emphasised how important it was for as much detail as possible about previous dispensation requests to be included in relevant reports so that the Standards Committee and/or the Dispensations Sub Committee could continuously review the granting of dispensations and ensure that there was a consistent approach.

 

Whilst some Members had previously indicated that it might be beneficial to have some form of written guidance around the granting of

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

9.

Report of Action Taken pdf icon PDF 347 KB

A report of the Town Clerk which, in accordance with Standing Order 41(b), provides Members with the details of a decision taken by the Town Clerk, in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Standards Committee, since the Committee’s last meeting on 28th November 2014.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 9.

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk relative to the details of a decision taken by the Town Clerk, in consultation with the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of the Standards Committee, since the last Committee meeting on 28th November 2014 in accordance with the City Corporation’s urgency provisions (Standing Order 41(b)). The decision concerned the final wording of the revised Code of Conduct Guidance.

 

Resolved:- That the report of action taken be noted.

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

Questions on matters relating to the work of the Committee

Minutes:

There were none.

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.

Any Other Business that the Chairman considers urgent

Minutes:

With the Chairman’s consent the following item of urgent business was considered:-

 

(i) Thanks to outgoing Members of the Committee

In light of his departure from the Committee as of 23rd April 2015, the Chairman thanked, on behalf of the Committee, Alderman Julian Malins for his sage advice and contributions to the work of the Standards Committee.  Formerly a member of the Committee in his capacity as a Common Councilman and, over the past two years, in his capacity as an Alderman, the Chairman thanked Alderman Malins for sharing his experience, opinions and knowledge; all of which had been invaluable to the Committee.  It was noted that Alderman Baroness Scotland was expected to join the Committee in 2015/2016.

 

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

12.

Exclusion of the Public

RESOLVED – That under Section 100(A) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part I of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

 

 

 

Item                                            Paragraph

10                                                        1

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 12.

Minutes:

Resolved:– That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act.

 

Item No.13                   Paragraph No.1

 

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

13.

Employment Tribunal Summary

A report of the Comptroller & City Solicitor.

 ...  view the full agenda text for item 13.

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report of the Comptroller and City Solicitor which had been submitted to the Establishment Committee on 18th September 2014 and provided an update in respect of Employment Tribunal cases that had been dealt with by the Comptroller and City Solicitor to the end of August 2014.

 

The Chairman advised those present that this information had previously been requested by the Committee following a discussion at an earlier meeting about the Employee Code of Conduct, of which the Committee maintained an overview; and the Member/Officer Protocol.  Some Members had requested clarification about the volume and nature of Employment Tribunals involving City Corporation employees and consequently this report set out the most recent details, although it was acknowledged that a covering report to the paper would have been helpful to Members.

 

Following a discussion about the content of the report and the justification for the information being submitted as a non-public report, it was agreed that a tailored report would be submitted to the Committee in the future, possibly as part of the Director of HR’s annual report to the Committee, setting out the relevant issues associated with the Member/Officer Protocol.  It was further agreed that, as far as possible, the issues falling within the remit of the Committee should be reported to Members in an appropriate format in the future.

 

Resolved:- That –

(i) the report be noted; and

(ii) the annual report of the Director of HR include relevant details concerning the Member/Officer Protocol and an overview of any Employment Tribunals pertaining to those issues within the scope of the Standards Committee.

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

14.

Non-Public Questions on matters relating to the work of the Committee

Minutes:

There were none.

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

15.

Any other business that the Chairman considers urgent and which the Committee agrees should be considered whilst the public are excluded

Minutes:

With the Chairman’s consent one item of urgent business was considered whilst the public were excluded.

 

(i) Chief Commoner- reflection on a year in Office

The Chief Commoner thanked the Chairman for his invitation to attend the meeting in advance of his year in Office coming to an end in April.  Those present were advised that no significant issues concerning Members of the Court of Common Council had arisen, or required intervention by the Chief Commoner, during the past ten months.

 

The Chairman thanked the Chief Commoner for his attendance.

 

NOTED.

 ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.