Agenda and minutes

To note the appointment at the meeting of Council on 21 October 2004, of Councillor Ann Groves as Chair of the Panel for the remainder of the Municipal Year 2004/2005.

RESOLVED:  That the appointment at the Standards Committee meeting held on 29 June 2004 of Councillor Ann Groves as Chair of the Panel for the Municipal Year 2004/2005 be noted.

To note the attendance at this meeting of any duly appointed Reserve Members.

Reserve Members may attend meetings:-

(i)                 to take the place of an ordinary Member for whom they are a reserve;

(ii)               where the ordinary Member will be absent for the whole of the meeting; and

(iii)             after notifying the Chair at the start of the meeting.

RESOLVED:  To note the attendance at this meeting of the following duly appointed Reserve Member:-

To receive declarations of personal or prejudicial interests, arising from business to be transacted at this meeting, from all Members present.

RESOLVED:  To note that there were no declarations of interests made by Members in relation to the business transacted at this meeting.

To consider whether any of the items listed on the agenda should be considered with the press and public excluded on the grounds that it is thought likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, that there would be disclosure of confidential information in breach of an obligation of confidence or of exempt information as defined in the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985.

RESOLVED:  That all items be considered with the press and public present.

To appoint a Vice Chair for the Panel for the remainder of the Municipal Year 2004/2005.

RESOLVED:  That Councillor Marie-Louise Nolan be appointed Vice Chair of the Panel for the Municipal Year 2004/2005.

That the minutes of the meeting held on 15 January and 21 April 2004, having been circulated, be taken as read and signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED:  That the minutes of the meetings held on 15 January and 21 April 2004, having been circulated, be taken as read and signed as correct records.

To receive questions (if any) from local residents or organisations under the provisions of Committee Procedure Rule 15 (Part 4B of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no public questions were put at the meeting under the provisions of Committee Procedure Rule 18.

To receive petitions (if any) submitted by members of the public/Councillors under the provisions of Committee Procedure Rule 15 (Part 4B of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no petitions were received at the meeting under the provisions of Committee Procedure Rule 15.

To receive deputations (if any) under the provisions of Committee Procedure Rule 16 (Part 4B of the Constitution).

RESOLVED:  To note that no deputations were received at the meeting under the provisions of Committee Procedure Rule 16.

The Chair informed the Panel that Councillor Miss Lyne had asked that the minutes of the meeting should reflect that she was unable to attend for any part of the meeting owing to another commitment at 6.30pm.

RESOLVED:  That the above be noted.

Report of the Executive Director (Organisational Development).

The Panel received a report of the Executive Director (Organisational Development), which provided an overview of Member Development from May – November 2004 and proposed areas on which to focus Member training for the remainder of the Municipal Year.  Following its publication in April 2004, a number of revisions had affected the original Member Development programme, including several cancellations and the addition of training programmes relating to Leadership and Performance, Planning and Licensing.

Member Development Strategy

The officer informed the Panel of the proposal to move towards a four-year cycle for Member Development in place of the existing annual cycle.  A Member suggested a model used by other Local Authorities, whereby the first two weeks following Council elections were dedicated entirely to a comprehensive induction for new Council Members.  Throughout the course of the four-year cycle it was expected that the programme would not only provide comprehensive training for new Members but would also allow for statutory training in key areas.  It was also suggested that candidates could be contacted through the Group Secretariats before the election in order to help plan the induction programme.

Internal Memorandum

A copy of an internal memorandum was distributed to Members of the Panel, highlighting the ongoing problem of co-ordinating Member Development activities.  The memo provided guidance and procedures for organising Member training in order to avoid continuing clashes.  It was agreed that the letter would be sent to all Directors with the understanding that if the problem persisted, a further letter from the Panel would be sent reiterating the point.

Member Development Programme, January 2005 – April 2005

The officer agreed to contact Members in order to establish if they would be attending the Housing Strategy Seminar on 14 December 2004, the Special Educational Needs (SEN) session on 5 January 2005 and the Code of Conduct Update on 8 February 2005.  On the basis of the response, the sessions would either be confirmed or cancelled.   By establishing approximate attendance numbers for each session it was hoped that officers’ time, together with the associated costs of running training sessions, would be safeguarded.  The Panel also agreed that officers should avoid arranging any events for Members on 19 January 2005 in order to avoid a clash with the session on Local Government Finance.  It was added that the revised programme would include training on the Freedom of Information Act, Planning, Licensing and a range of programmes and seminars focusing on leadership issues.  It was agreed that the revised programme would be sent to Members of the Panel for their comments, before being distributed to all Members.

Media Training Pack

The Panel welcomed the Media Training Pack, which had provided an effective way to train Members, particularly given the difficulty in arranging a Member session specifically dedicated to dealing with the media.  Given the success of the pack it was proposed that this method of training could be used on a regular basis.

RESOLVED:  That (1) a letter be written to Members requesting confirmation of their  ...  view the full minutes text for item 134.