Agenda and draft minutes

Venue: Committee Room 3 - 3rd Floor - Civic Centre. View directions

Contact: Jaswinder Kaur  01902 550320 or Email: jaswinder.kaur@wolverhampton.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Apologies for absence

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no apologies for absence received.

2.

Declarations of interest

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest made.

3.

Minutes of previous meeting pdf icon PDF 58 KB

[To agree the minutes of the previous meeting, held on the 14 June 2018.]

Additional documents:

Minutes:

That the minutes of the previous meeting held on the 14 June 2018 be approved as a correct record.

4.

Matters arising

[To consider any matters arising from the minutes of the previous meeting.]

Additional documents:

Minutes:

There were no matters arising discussed.

5.

Freedom of Entry - HMS Forward pdf icon PDF 70 KB

[To consider whether to confer the title of Freedom of Entry to HMS Forward.]

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Jaswinder Kaur, Democratic Services Manager, presented the report on Freedom of Entry - HMS Forward for approval. The committee were requested to consider convening an extraordinary council meeting to confer the title of Freedom of Entry to HMS Forward. HMS Forward had built firm  relations with the City over the last two decades and provided eminent service to the City.

 

The Mayor, Councillor Phil Page proposed the recommendations, and Councillor Val Evans seconded the recommendations.

 

Resolved:

 

1.    That Council convene an extraordinary meeting of the Council on 7 November 2018, to confer the honour of Freedom of Entry on HMS Forward in recognition of their services to the City of Wolverhampton.

2.    That arrangements be made in due course to celebrate the honour.

 

6.

Councillor Code of Conduct and Protocol for Councillor and Employee Relations pdf icon PDF 71 KB

[To consider amendments to the Councillor Code of Conduct and Protocol for Councillor and Employee Relations.]

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Jaswinder Kaur, Democratic Services Manager, presented the report on Councillor Code of Conduct and Protocol for Councillor and Employee Relations. The committee were requested to approve the amendments to the Councillor Code of Conduct and Protocol for Councillor and Employee relations. The Code had been amended to include the Nolan Principles which were previously in a separate article. The Code provided greater clarity to Councillors on expectations of conduct, rules of conduct and declarations of interest. The protocol had very minor changes made.

 

Ray Tomkinson, Independent Member, advised he was supportive of the changes proposed however, based on experience recommended the following amendments:

 

Paragraph 2.3 be amended to include informal meeting, which is not a formal committee under the Council’s constitution, but which has been arranged in advance where authority business was being discussed between councillors or between councillors and officers.

 

Section 6 be amended to include when carrying out your public duties such as making public appointments, awarding contracts or recommending individuals for rewards or benefits, you must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

 

Section 7 be amended to include in this code ‘members of your family’ includes the following relationships of the member, the members spouse or members’ s civil partner or any other person with whom you are living as husband and wife or as if you were civil partners: a son/daughter (including a biological son/daughter, stepson/daughter, adopted son/daughter or male/female child for which the person has custodial responsibilities), mother, father, brother or sister, a niece, nephew, aunt, uncle, grandchild, grandparent.

 

In this code a person with whom you have a close association means someone that you are in either regular contact with over a period of time or a significant contact who is more than an acquaintance or can be considered to be a friend, a colleague, a business associate or someone whom you know through general social contacts.

 

The Committee requested the Monitoring Officer to consider the amendments put forward and advise whether they should be included within the Councillor Code of Conduct.

 

The Mayor, Councillor Phil Page proposed the recommendations, and Councillor Val Evans seconded the recommendations.

 

Resolved that Council:

 

1. Approve the revised Councillor Code of Conduct.

2. Approve the revised Protocol for Councillor/Employee Relations.

3. Delegate authority to the Director of Governance determine whether the suggestion put forward by the Independent Member be incorporated into the Councillor Code of Conduct.