Agenda and minutes

Kerry Watkins, Gill Nurton, Richard Morgan and Councillor Jane Mudd

None.

Accepted.

Resolved:

The Minutes of the Previous Meeting on the 18^th April 2024 were agreed as a true and accurate record.

The Committee suggested a written thanks be sent to Councillor Hussain who no longer sits as a member of the Standards Committee for her participation and dedication to the committee.

The Chair noted his agreement and added that Councillor Hussain had been an original committee member on his commencement as Chair.

Resolved:

The Committee agreed to provide a written thanks to Councillor Hussain for her participation and dedication to the Standards Committee. 

To receive any announcements the Chair wishes to make.

The Chair informed the Committee that he had presented the Standards Committee Annual Report to Full Council and noted the positive impact of a member of the Committee being present at the Council meeting in building the relationship with Councillors as well as Group Leaders.

The Chair queried whether the Councillors present at full Council felt that his attendance had been a worthwhile exercise. Councillor Cockeram noted his agreement and the Leader of the Council, Councillor Dimitri Batrouni stated his support of having clear, open and honest dialogue to benefit the Council and its residents.

Resolved:

The Committee noted the Chair’s announcements.

Councillor Dimitri Batrouni – The Leader of the Council

Councillor Matthew Evans – The Leader of the Opposition

Councillor Kevin Whitehead – The Leader of the Newport Independents

Councillor Mark Howells – The Leader of the Lliswerry Independents

The Chair opened discussion by noting that whilst all Members had completed the Code of Conduct training the Committee felt it was worthwhile to continue meeting with the Group Leaders every other quarter to ensure full compliance and to establish a rapport.

The Chair welcomed the Leader of the Council to the meeting and thanked him for his willingness to work collaboratively with the Committee. The Chair asked the Leader of the Council to provide a brief overview on Labour Members’ observance of the Code of Conduct training and whether any issues had arisen.

The Leader of the Council informed the Committee that he welcomed engagement between Group Leaders and the Standards Committee and referenced his work in another Local Authority where there had been frequent communication on this topic. The Leader of the Council noted the importance of working collaboratively with other Group Leaders to resolve potential issues that may arise.

The Leader of the Council stated that no issues had been brought to his attention but added that he would be happy to deal with any breaches should they occur. The Leader of the Council highlighted that he had been clear with members of his party on the support available should a Code of Conduct issue arise.

The Committee noted that all members were aware of the Code of Conduct but noted that more could be done to ensure that all members took up the refresher training. The Head of Law and Standards informed the Committee that there had been a high uptake of the comprehensive Code of Conduct refresher training session that had been conducted recently. 

The Chair invited the Leader of the Opposition to provide a verbal update.

The Leader of the Opposition informed the Committee that whilst he had been on sick leave for a few months his deputy had ably stepped into the role during this period. The Leader of the Opposition stated that all party members had completed the mandatory training as well as completing additional training provided from a number of bodies external to the Council. The Leader of the Opposition noted the training provided to members via their role as School Governors and added that most members of his party were on the board for two or more schools.

The Leader of the Opposition stated that he had a good working relationship with the other Group Leaders and the new Leader of the Council to ensure that the Council’s high standards are adhered to. 

The Chair thanked the Leader of the Opposition and opened for questions from the Committee.

The Committee commended members for being on more than one governing body due to the demanding workload.  The Leader of the Opposition stated that members would often complete refresher training on topics such as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

The Monitoring Officer will report on any complaints received since the last meeting.

The Head of Law Standards (HLS) stated that although it had been previously raised he wished to report the high uptake of Councillors that had undertaken the refresher training for the Code of Conduct.

The HLS stated that as noted earlier in the meeting there is a Councillor under investigation by the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW).

The Committee queried the process on notification when complaints are made. The HLS explained that a report is provided to the PSOW who in turn then inform the Monitoring Officer and keep them up to date of the process.

The HLS stated that there had been another member under investigation for signing off correspondence as a Councillor outside of Council business and gave a brief overview of the situation. The HLS stated that the Member’s actions were considered reasonable and that no further action was taken by the PSOW.

The HLS wished to remind all Members to be mindful of only referring to themselves as Councillors when conducting Council business to avoid being seen as using the title for personal gain.

Resolved:

The Standards Committee noted the update from the Head of Law and Standards and will be provided with further updates on the active investigation when appropriate.

The Chair to provide an oral update.

The Chair informed the Committee that the National Standards Committee Forum (NSCF) met twice a year to discuss Standards monitoring across Wales. The Chair stated that the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW) had attended the most recent meeting to provide an overview of her role and the process.

The Chair stated that there had been debate amongst to NSCF on whether circulating the notes from the meeting would be appropriate but noted that all proceedings were kept regulated by a Legal Representative.

The Head of Law and Standards (HLS) stated that there was a Welsh Monitoring Officer Group that meets quarterly to discuss common issues amongst Local Authorities (LA). The HLS stated that there had been a discussion on the National Standards Conference (NSC) as it is now the turn of Southeast Wales to host. The HLS noted there were several challenges with hosting the NSC as an in-person event and raised the possibility of a collaboration between the Welsh Monitoring Officer Group and the NSCF.

The Chair noted that a Monitoring Officer from a Welsh LA was always present at the NSCF. The Chair reiterated that the notes from the most recent NSCF had been shared with the Committee and that his opinion was that all notes should be shared for openness and transparency when representing a public body, which was agreed by the Committee.  

Resolved:

The Standards Committee noted the update on the National Standards Committee Forum and awaited further updates on the National Standards Conference.

The Democratic and Electoral Services Manager (DESM) noted the Committee’s role in monitoring Member uptake of Code of Conduct training and that the Committee had also wished to have a general oversight of member training in general.

The DESM stated that periodic updates had been provided to the Committee and today’s report continued on from updates that had been presented previously. The DESM highlighted some of the training that had been provided.

The DESM stated that training had been provided on key updates on legislation and noted that there had also been informal training on a drop-in basis.

The Committee praised the training provided to Community Councillors at the Liaison meeting but queried whether it could be provided to all Community Councillors. The DESM noted that all Community Council clerks had been made aware but noted there may have been a miscommunication and stated that the paperwork and recording from the meeting could be shared. The Head of Law and Standards (HLS) informed the Committee that a comprehensive booklet on safety topics was in creation and would be shared when available. The Committee suggested that both the Clerks and the Chairs of the Community Councils be notified for clarity. The DESM noted that the training had been shared widely but noted that other methods of communication could be looked at going forward.

The HLS stated that the training was a two-way street and that they welcomed suggestions on training from Councillors.

The Committee welcomed the report and noted the increase in appetite for online training and queried whether this has created an issue in monitoring training uptake.  The DESM stated that there had been an increase in attendance for training when hosted online and informed the Committee that some training had been run on a hybrid basis. The DESM stated that responses from the survey were being considered and that they would adapt formats as much as possible.

The Committee praised the high uptake of the Data Protection training. The DESM stated that further sessions were to be diarised due to its intrinsic link to Council functions.

The Committee praised the engagement of external training providers. The DESM noted that it was always useful when external training providers and partners came in and noted that the Welsh Local Government Association and Llais training had been very well received.

The Committee praised the result summary in the report and noted the extra training on Budget, Scrutiny and Finance. The DESM stated that the Budget training ran on an annual basis and added that a guide was being created to assist Members.

Resolved:

The Standards Committee noted the report summarising training delivered during the reporting period and the remaining schedule of Member training for 2024/25.

Information Report.

The Democratic and Electoral Services Manager introduced the Equality and Human Rights Casebook, which was for information purposes only.

The Head of Law and Standards (HLS) introduced the report and the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales (PSOW) Annual Letter. The HLS informed the Committee that the letter set out the PSOW activities and noted that there had been a 17% increase in contact to the PSOW compared to the previous year and an increase of 37% in caseload since 2019.

The HLS stated the appendices set out the statistics on the performance of the 22 Local Authorities (LA) for consideration. The HLS stated that the number of complaints against Newport City Council activity was neither high nor low in comparison with other LAs and was within acceptable parameters. The HLS highlighted that there were more complaints in housing and social care which occurred across the board and was not reflective of the Council’s performance.

The Committee noted the complaints regarding Roads and Transport and queried whether these had been taken on board by the Council. The HLA stated that all complaints would go through the complaints process and actioned depending on the Council’s parameters and contextualised that road conditions was an issue for all councils across the UK.

The HLS gave a brief overview of the complaints outcome table but wished to draw the Committees attention to the table of compliance performance and noted that this had caused concern. The HLS informed the Committee that further information had been requested to understand the data more effectively. The Committee noted that this had been a concern for them also but recognised the HLS efforts. 

The Democratic and Electoral Services Manager informed the Committee that a full report on the performance side of the complaints would be put before the Governance and Audit Committee in November.

The HLS noted that included within the report was the update on the independent review of the PSOW. The HLS provided a reminder of the misconduct of a previous PSOW Manager and explained that a full review had been conducted to ensure that all findings had been free of bias. The HLS updated the Committee that no evidence of a political party being treated unfairly had been found and added that the final report would be shared to the Committee when appropriate.

The HLS stated that there had been some outcomes from the report such as additional training for PSOW staff and noted that no complaints of unfair treatment from the PSOW against a Newport City Council Member had been raised as far as he was aware.

The Committee noted that the increase in contact and caseload of the PSOW would likely continue. The HLS agreed and noted the importance of managing public expectations considering the phenomenal pressures on social services and housing. The Committee noted that many people may not be aware of the cost of some childcare places for the Local Authority which could cost up to £10,000 a week.

Resolved:

The Committee noted the Report and the Ombudsman’s Annual letter and Annual report for 2023/24 as well as the update on the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

Thursday, 16th January, 2025 5.30 pm

Thursday, 16th January 2025 at 5.30 pm.