To consider an oral report in respect of a national pilot project on joint working arrangements. 

Wards: County Wide

Mr Gething reported on a pilot project which was being conducted by the Standards Board for England (SBE), on joint agreements between Associations of Local Councils and Standards Committees.  The project would attract a small grant of £250.00 per day, and it was anticipated that it would require twelve days’ work spread over approximately six months.  The Herefordshire Association of Local Councils (HALC) was one of six Associations that had been asked to complete the pilot, the others being Lincoln, Cornwall, Hampshire, Cheshire and Northamptonshire.  The SBE had chosen a diverse mix of urban and rural areas for the pilot, and had selected Herefordshire in particular as an exemplar of excellent working relationships with both its local Monitoring Officer and Standards Committee. 

The project aimed to produce a model for compacts between local Associations, Monitoring Officers and Standards Committees, by monitoring the following activities:

• Informal meetings between the Standards Committee and the Local Association to ensure that there was agreement over the Code of Conduct;
• The production of joint guidance leaflets;
• A minimum of two joint training events per year;
• The Monitoring Officer and Committee Members attending a minimum of six parish/town council meetings between June and December 2008;
• Collecting supporting evidence of the extent of Code of Conduct training amongst parish/town councils.

Members commented that the only activity currently not undertaken by the Standards Committee was attendance at parish/town council meetings.  Mr David Stevens reported that he had previously attended some meetings as a casual observer, and he suggested that it would be preferable for the members of the Standards Committee to adopt a different approach to this, making it clear who they were and why they were attending, thus ensuring complete transparency.  The Committee emphasised the importance of explaining in advance to parish and town councils that the Standards Committee would undertake a round of selected visits, to avoid any anxiety or misunderstandings.  The main purpose of the visits would be for members to answer any questions about its work and the local filter.  Mr Gething said that he would ask HALC to include an article about it in its next circular. 

In the past, informal meetings with HALC had usually been attended by the Chairman and the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, and members felt that there was merit in involving all of the Standards Committee in future meetings, and making it a regular booking before each main Standards Committee meeting. 

Members agreed to consider producing a guidance leaflet on Planning issues as a joint project. 

Mr Gething said that he would report on progress made with the pilot project at the Committee’s next meeting.  The Committee asked Mr. Gething to convey its thanks and congratulations to HALC for being instrumental in the project. 

RESOLVED:   (unanimously) that:

(i)                 the SBE/HALC Pilot Project be welcomed and supported;

(ii)               all members of the Standards Committee be involved in informal briefings with HALC;

(iii)             HALC be requested to include an article about visits by Standards Committee members in its next circular;

(iv)             as part of the pilot project, a joint Standards Committee/HALC guidance leaflet be produced in respect of Planning matters; and

(v)               a progress report be considered by the Standards Committee at its next meeting on 04 July 2008.