Report by Monitoring Officer

Further to Minute 3 of the Standards Committee held on 10 October 2022, the Monitoring Officer submitted a report recommending the adoption of amended versions of Article 9 (terms of reference of the Standards Committee), the Code of Conduct for Reading Borough Council, the Arrangements Document, the Policy for Unreasonable and Unreasonably Persistent complaints and the Final Hearing Procedures be approved.  The Standards Committee’s review had been assisted by a new Model Code of Conduct, which had been produced by the Local Government Association (LGA) following a report of the Committee for Standards in Public Life (CSPL), which had recommended local authorities should adopt a standard Code of Conduct. 

The Standards Committee recommended some minor modifications to the LGA’s model Code to reflect Reading’s local circumstances.  Firstly, the Committee agreed that the level of gifts and hospitality was too high and the provisions relating to disclosure of confidential or exempt information were unnecessarily complicated and that greater simplicity was to be preferred.  The recommended Code, at Appendix 2 to the report, would be substantially in accordance with the recommended Model, and councillors should find it a more helpful model and one which would accord with their responsibilities at other organisations such as the Fire Authority. 

The following motion was moved by Councillor Terry and seconded by Councillor Brock and CARRIED:

Resolved –

(1)      That the proposed Revision to Article 9 of the Constitution (as shown in Appendix 1), be adopted.

(2)      That the proposed Member Code of Conduct (as shown in Appendix 2), be adopted.

(3)      That the proposed Arrangements for Dealing with Allegations of Misconduct (as shown in Appendix 3), be adopted.

(4)      That the proposed Policy for Unreasonable and Unreasonably Persistent Complaints, (as shown in Appendix 4) be adopted.

(5)      That the proposed Hearing Procedures (as shown in Appendix 5), be adopted.