Agenda item

Report of the Town Clerk.

The Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk providing Members with an update on the status of the Co-opted Members’ Registers of Interest following circulation of correspondence by the Town Clerk in consultation with the Comptroller & City Solicitor in early August 2015 and the implementation of the new arrangements.

The Town Clerk informed the Committee that over 50% of those co-opted Members contacted on this matter had not submitted a response. She went on to highlight that many of those contacted had also expressed concern, particularly at plans to publish their interests and some had also suggested that pursuing this matter may leave them with no choice but to resign from their respective Committees.

With regard to the technicalities around publishing the responses received, the Town Clerk reported that this had now been trialled and would be technically possible if the Committee were minded to proceed with this exercise.

The Chairman suggested that the Comptroller and City Solicitor produce a paper for the next meeting of the Standards Committee detailing how each of the various Sub/Consultative/Grand Committees concerned were constituted and providing Members with some advice on how best to proceed in each case. It was felt that this exercise was absolutely essential to pursue in the case of co-opted Members sitting on decision making bodies such as the three City School Boards.

A Member commented that he felt it important to set out proper and consistent parameters.

The Committee suggested that, in the interim, the Town Clerk contact all relevant Committee Chairman requesting that they remind their Co-opted Members of the need to submit responses at their next scheduled meetings.