Present:-

Councillors Brook (Chairman), Colthorpe, Sir Simon Day, Owen and Parsons

Mr Bull, Mrs Mayes and Mrs Saltmarsh.

Apologies:-

Councillors Fry, Hook and Alderman Turner

*12 Minutes

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 12 November 2012 be signed as a correct record.

*13 Standards Committee Annual Report 2012/13

The Committee considered the draft Standards Committee Annual Report for 2012/13.

In line with best practice and as a means of raising the awareness and understanding of the work of this Committee, both within the Council and beyond, the Committee had previously agreed to publish an Annual Report highlighting its work in the preceding year and future issues for consideration or development.

Members had before them the proposed text of the fourth Annual Report of this Committee for the 2012/13 municipal year which covered a period of significant change with the abolition of the former standards regime and its replacement with new standards arrangements under the Localism Act 2011. The Committee acknowledged that the publication, independently, of an Annual Report by the Committee would complement and give rigour to the Council s Annual Governance Statement which it was required to publish on an annual basis.

It was MOVED by Councillor Parsons, SECONDED by Mrs Saltmarsh and

RESOLVED that the Annual Report for 2012/13 be approved and published on the Council s website at:

http://www.devon.gov.uk/index/councildemocracy/decision_making/full_council/standards.htm

*14 Ethical Governance Framework - Independent Monitoring

The Committee considered the report of the County Solicitor (CS/13/18 - text only | pdf CS/13/18) summarising the feedback from Co-opted Members of this Committee on their attendance at meetings of the Council, Cabinet and Committees since the previous meeting to monitor compliance by Members and Officers with the Council s ethical governance framework.

The Committee were pleased to note that there had been no areas of significant concern or any indication of actions or behaviours that might be felt to have resulted in a potential breach of the Code and acknowledged that steps had been taken to address a number of practical and procedural matters in light of Member s comments arising from both this and the previous monitoring report.

It was MOVED by Councillor Brook, SECONDED by Mr Bull and

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

*15 The New Standards Regime

The County Solicitor reported on the first six months operation of the revised Code of Conduct and arrangements for assessing and determining complaints adopted by the Council from 1 July 2012, as referred to in the Annual Report for 2012/13 (Minute 14 above refers), acknowledging that as originally indicated the operation of the Code and aforementioned arrangements would necessarily be reviewed by the Council after the forthcoming County Council elections.

*16 Local Determination of Complaints: Case Handling Information

The County Solicitor reported that, since the last meeting, one complaint concerning an alleged breach of the Members Code of Conduct by a County Councillor had been received. Following an initial assessment of the complaint and consultation with an Independent Person appointed by the Council it had been agreed that no further action should be taken on the complaint on the basis that the allegations would not be a breach of the Code of Conduct and, accordingly, could not therefore be investigated.

*DENOTES DELEGATED MATTER WITH POWER TO ACT

The meeting started at 2.15pm and finished at 2.34pm.

The Minutes of this Committee are published on the County Council s Website at:-