Meeting documents

 

 

A Felicity Baker	P Jill Iles
P Richard Nightingale (substitute for Felicity Baker)	P James Tonkin

 

 

P: Present

A: Apologies for absence submitted

 

Also present (co-opted, non-voting): Nick Carter-Brown (Independent Lay Person), Fred Malton (Independent Parish Councillor)

 

Officers in attendance: Julia Parkes (Corporate Services), Sara Saunders; Solicitor (Corporate Services)

 

SSC 20

Election of Chairman for the Meeting

Resolved: that Councillor Jill Iles be elected Chairman for the meeting

 

(Councillor Iles in the Chair)

 

SSC 21

Apologies for Absence and Notification of Substitutes (Agenda Item 1)

The Deputy Monitoring Officer advised that Councillor Nightingale was substituting for Councillor Baker and that the Independent Person had given his views on the complaint and response to the papers, in writing.

 

 

SSC 22

Declaration of Disclosable Pecuniary Interest (Standing Order 37) (Agenda Item 3)

None

 

SSC 23

Minutes of the Meeting held on 5 February 2019 (Agenda Item 4)

Resolved: that the minutes of the meeting be approved as a correct record.

 

 

 

SSC 24

Exclusion of Press and Public

Resolved: that the press, public and officers not required to remain during the exempt session by the members or officers advising, be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following items of business on the grounds that its consideration will involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in Section 100I of the Local Government Act 1972.

 

 

Item Reason for Exemption

 

Minute no. SSC25 Paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972

 

SSC 25

Complaint against a Town Councillor (12/2018) (Agenda Item 5)

The Sub-Committee considered a complaint received from a member of the public regarding a Town Councillor, stating that he had breached the Portishead Town Council Code of Conduct applicable to Town Councillors.

 

The Deputy Monitoring Officer outlined the complaint.

 

The Sub-Committee considered the complaint, together with the response from the Councillor concerned and received the views of the Independent Parish Councillor and the written response from the Independent Lay Person.

 

In considering the key issues, the Sub-Committee concluded that the Councillors actions had not breached Portishead Town Councils Code of Conduct and that this complaint was the third complaint submitted by the same complainant, on the same issues, A previous complaint on the same issue has been considered by the Local Government Ombudsman who found no evidence of fault by the Council or a significant injustice to the complainant.

 

The Standards Sub-Committee also requested that North Somerset Councils Corporate Policy on unacceptable complaints should be instigated.

 

Resolved:

 

(1) that no action should be taken and the complaint be dismissed; and

 

(2) that the Deputy Monitoring Officer write to the Councillor and the complainant advising of the decision.

 

 

 

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Chairman

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