Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Felicity Lusk (Co-opted Member), Alderman Julian Malins, Anju Sanehi (Independent Person), Tom Sleigh and Chris Taylor (Independent Person).

There were none.

A joint report of the Town Clerk and the Comptroller & City Solicitor relative to proposed revisions to the Members’ Code of Conduct following the Court of Common Council’s consideration of earlier proposals on 24^th July 2014.

The following appendices accompany the joint report:

Appendix 1 - Revised Members’ Code of Conduct incorporating proposed revisions

Appendix 2 – Report of the Standards Committee to Common Council – Amendments to the Members’ Code of Conduct – Disclosable Interests and the Mandatory Registration of Gifts and Hospitality (24th July 2014)

Appendix 3 – Extract of the Minutes of the meeting of the Court of Common Council (24th July 2014)

Appendix 4 – Current Code of Conduct

Appendix 5 – Background information and comparative data (Comptroller and City Solicitor, August 2014)

Members of the Standards Committee are asked to consider the proposals set out in Appendix 1 and any views that may be submitted by Members of the Court of Common Council and, thereafter, approve the revised Code of Conduct ahead of submission to a future meeting of the Court of Common Council.

The Chairman introduced the item by welcoming all those present to the meeting and introducing Mr Greenburgh and Mr Large who had been consulted about the proposed revisions and were present at the meeting on the basis that their appointments as new Co-opted Members of the Standards Committee would be considered by the Court of Common Council later that day. 

Having outlined the background to the proposed revised Members’ Code of Conduct before the Committee and the invitation to all Members of the Court of Common Council to comment on the proposed Code, those present were advised that a number of comments had been received from Members in advance of an informal Standards workshop that took place on 27^th August 2014.  Those discussions had informed the final proposal before the Committee which now included greater clarity about the Seven Principles of Public Life as well as reflecting City specific aspects.  With reference to gifts and hospitality, the Chairman explained that the introduction of a mandatory registration regime had again been reviewed and it was felt that more appropriate thresholds were now included in the Code.  In respect of the proposed list of non-pecuniary interests, the Chairman explained that this had generated a significant amount of debate at the meeting of the Court of Common Council in July and on the basis of the comments received from Members, and in light of further informal discussions amongst Members’ of the Standards Committee, some changes had been incorporated in the Code before the Committee. 

Before moving onto a discussion about the proposed Code, the Chairman explained that the final proposal would be circulated to all Members of the Court, for further comments, ahead of submission to the Court for approval on 16^th October 2014. 

Moving onto the proposed Code before the

There were no questions.

There was none.