Agenda and minutes

To agree the procedures for the operation of hybrid meetings.

RESOLVED –

THAT the hybrid meeting procedures set out in the agenda be agreed.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Parkinson.

There were no declarations of interest.

Broadcast of the meeting

The Chair to announce the following: ‘In addition to the rights by law that the public and press have to record this meeting, I would like to remind everyone that this meeting is being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and can be viewed on our website for twelve months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts are archived and can be made available upon request.

If you have asked to address the meeting, you are deemed to be consenting to having your contributions recorded and broadcast, including video when switched on, and to the use of those sound recordings and images for webcasting and/or training purposes.’

Any other announcements

Broadcasting of the meeting

The Chair announced that the meeting was being broadcast live by the Council to the Internet and could be viewed on the website for twelve months after the meeting. After that time, webcasts were archived and could be made available upon request. Those who had asked to address the meeting were deemed to be consenting to having their contributions recorded and broadcast and to the use of those sound recordings and images for webcasting and/or training purposes.

Requests to speak at the Committee on a matter within its terms of reference must be made in writing to the clerk named on the front of this agenda by 5pm two working days before the meeting.

There were no deputations.

There was no notification of urgent business.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 29 June 2022.

It was noted that, due to an administrative error, the election of Vice-Chair referred to in the minutes had been omitted from the agenda and so could not be undertaken at this meeting.  It would, however, be added to the agenda for the next meeting and it was also open to the Council to appoint the Vice-Chair at its annual meeting in May.

                        ACTION BY:             Borough Solicitor

RESOLVED –

THAT the minutes of the meeting held on 29^th June 2022 be approved and signed as a correct record.

Report of the Borough Solicitor

Following examples in recent years of Government Ministers and others using personal email addresses to conduct Government business and with continued use of email as a primary method of communication, this report explores why councillors should not use personal email accounts to conduct Council business and highlights the current protocol addressing this: Use of Information Technology – Guidance on the Members’ Code of Conduct.

Consideration was given to a report of the Borough Solicitor.  In introducing the report, the Borough Solicitor proposed that any email to Members about this issue should be in the name of the Chair of the Committee.

Members queried the best course of action if a constituent contacted them on their personal email address, and the Borough Solicitor advised that the Member should forward it straight to their Council email address and undertake all further correspondence from that address.  It was also advisable to set up an automated response from the personal mailbox advising that any correspondence relating to Council business should be re-sent to the Member’s Council email address.  The key point to note was that emails relating to Council business should never be forwarded to a Member’s personal email account.

The Committee requested that, as well as all Members being written to about this issue, it should also be raised at the next Whips meeting.

RESOLVED –

(i)            THAT the Chair of the Committee write to all councillors with guidance on the use of the personal email accounts for Council business; and

(ii)          THAT the guidance be placed on the agenda for the next Whips meeting.

ACTION BY:             Borough Solicitor

Report of the Borough Solicitor

This report brings to Members’ attention recent standards news items for information and updates on actions from the previous Standards Committee meeting. 

Consideration was given to a report of the Borough Solicitor.

In relation to the issues raised by the Nottingham City Council case, a Member remarked that Camden had a useful framework for dealing with potential events involving speakers promoting hate or intolerance which set out a step by step process for assessing and dealing with such events.

The Borough Solicitor commented that, if it was considered that an event was likely to lead to a disturbance and/or a crime, that was a fairly solid basis on which to prevent it from going ahead.  However, preventing a speaker from holding an event simply on the basis of their views was trickier and Nottingham had been found not to have come to a clear and balanced view on this occasion.  In response to a question regarding organisations applying for funding, he added that it was critical to have a clearly documented process for such decisions in order to ensure that they were taken as fairly and objectively as possible.  That said, the process should be as simple as possible in order to avoid disadvantaging smaller, less well-resourced organisations.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

Report of the Borough Solicitor

This report sets out the record of standards information and guidance issued to Members of the Council. 

Consideration was given to a report of the Borough Solicitor.

RESOLVED –

THAT the report be noted.

There was no urgent business.