Agenda item

Report of the Town Clerk and Chief Executive.

The Sub-Committee considered a report of the Town Clerk around various options in terms of mandatory Code of Conduct training implementation and delivery.

The Town Clerk introduced the report stating that the draft Code of Conduct that the Sub-Committee had just approved for wider consultation at the previous item contained a statement which read ‘I undertake Code of Conduct training provided by the Corporation’ – in practice, this would mean that, when the Code was formally adopted, any Member failing to undertake such training would be in breach of it. By implication, Code of Conduct training would therefore become mandatory with the introduction of this new Code. Given this, this report therefore asked Members to consider how best such training could be implemented and delivered as well as any other additional measures that they might wish to consider introducing such as a dedicated Standing Order reinforcing this requirement within the Code and setting out that those failing to undertake the training would not be eligible for appointment to any Committee.

A Member queried to whom the new Code would apply and therefore for whom the mandatory training would apply. They also stated that they were of the view that a public record of Code of Conduct training completed and the date on which it was last completed should be introduced for full transparency.

Officers clarified that the Corporation’s Code of Conduct was already applied to any member of the Corporation and any member of a committee or sub-committee of the Corporation (voting or non-voting), it was proposed that this continue and so the proposed mandatory training element would therefore apply to all.

The Chair commented that her view was that existing Members should continue to be offered training and be encouraged to view the recordings of the Code of Conduct training sessions already provided and that it should become mandatory for all as of March 2025 with the next all-out elections. It was highlighted that communications on this new requirement would need to be sent to all in good time. Officers stated that Code of Conduct training would be offered to all very early on in the new Member Induction programme and that the dates for this and its importance could be communicated to all candidates well in advance such that Committee appointments at the April 2025 Court were not unnecessarily hindered.

With regard to the frequency with which all should be encouraged to undertake the training, the Sub-Committee were of the view that it should be mandated once per term of office unless there were to be any major changes to the Localism Act, under a new Government for example, which would necessitate that happening any sooner.

RESOLVED: - That Members support the introduction of mandatory Code of Conduct training for all as of March 2025, at which juncture all will be required to sign up to the new Code, this training to be repeated once per electoral term for all.