Agenda, decisions and draft minutes
PDF 140 KBVenue: Council Chamber, District Council Offices, Letchworth Garden City, SG6 3JF
Contact: Committee Services- 01462 474655 Email: committee.services@north-herts.gov.uk
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE Members are required to notify any substitutions by midday on the day of the meeting.
Late substitutions will not be accepted and Members attending as a substitute without having given the due notice will not be able to take part in the meeting. Decision: Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Councillor Ian Albert.
Having given due notice Councillor Emma Fernandes substituted for Councillor Albert.
Councillor Chris Lucas and Councillor Dominic Griffiths were absent. Minutes: Audio recording – 53 seconds
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Ian Albert.
Having given due notice Councillor Emma Fernandes substituted for Councillor Albert.
Councillors Chris Lucas and Dominic Griffiths were absent. |
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MINUTES - 22 OCTOBER 2025 To take as read and approve as a true record the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on the 22 October 2025. Decision: RESOLVED:That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 22 October 2025 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chair. Minutes: Audio Recording – 1 minute 16 seconds
Councillor Keith Hoskins proposed and Councillor Ralph Muncer seconded and, following a vote, it was:
RESOLVED:That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Committee held on 22 October 2025 be approved as a true record of the proceedings and be signed by the Chair. |
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NOTIFICATION OF OTHER BUSINESS Members should notify the Chair of other business which they wish to be discussed at the end of either Part I or Part II business set out in the agenda. They must state the circumstances which they consider justify the business being considered as a matter of urgency.
The Chair will decide whether any item(s) raised will be considered. Decision: There was no other business notified. Minutes: Audio recording – 2 minutes 3 seconds
There was no other business notified. |
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CHAIR'S ANNOUNCEMENTS Members are reminded that any declarations of interest in respect of any business set out in the agenda, should be declared as either a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest or Declarable Interest and are required to notify the Chair of the nature of any interest declared at the commencement of the relevant item on the agenda. Members declaring a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest must withdraw from the meeting for the duration of the item. Members declaring a Declarable Interest, wishing to exercise a ‘Councillor Speaking Right’, must declare this at the same time as the interest, move to the public area before speaking to the item and then must leave the room before the debate and vote. Decision: (1) The Chair advised that, in accordance with Council policy this meeting would be recorded.
(2) The Chair drew attention to the item on the agenda front pages regarding Declarations of Interest and reminded Members that, in line with the Code of Conduct, any Declarations of Interest needed to be declared immediately prior to the item in question.
(3) The Chair advised for the purpose of clarification Clause 4.8.23(a) of the Constitution does not apply to this meeting. Minutes: Audio recording – 2 minutes 8 seconds
(1) The Chair advised that, in accordance with Council policy this meeting would be recorded.
(2) The Chair drew attention to the item on the agenda front pages regarding Declarations of Interest and reminded Members that, in line with the Code of Conduct, any Declarations of Interest needed to be declared immediately prior to the item in question.
(3) The Chair advised for the purpose of clarification Clause 4.8.23(a) of the Constitution does not apply to this meeting. |
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PUBLIC PARTICIPATION To receive petitions, comments and questions from the public. Decision: There was no public participation. Minutes: Audio recording – 2 minutes 48 seconds
There was no public participation. |
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REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR – GOVERNANCE
The report updates Members of the Committee on standards issues locally and nationally. It contains a summary of the complaints received for the year 2025-2026 thus far, as well as any other relevant issues that have arisen between Committee meetings. Decision: RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the content of the report and suggested a working group to adjust the way Councillor to Councillor complaints are managed.
REASON FOR DECISION: To ensure good governance within the Council and keep the Committee abreast of changes locally and nationally. Minutes: Audio recording – 2 minutes 56 seconds
The Monitoring Officer presented the report entitled ‘Standards Matters’ and advised that:
· It followed the usual structure and provided a summary of complaints and how they had been managed. · Since publication of the report, there had been two further complaints, which had been resolved, leaving only one outstanding. · Proposed changes to the standards and conduct framework process nationally were outlined in section 8 of the report.
The following Members asked questions:
· Councillor Ralph Muncer · Councillor Vijaiya Poopalasingham · Councillor Val Bryant · Councillor Sean Prendergast · Councillor Keith Hoskins
In response to questions, the Monitoring Officer advised that:
· The total of 20 complaints was a slight increase on the previous year. · Approximately 30% of complaints were Councillor to Councillor complaints and this had not increased. · A complaint submitted through the online portal would be required to answer specific questions to help with triaging the complaint. However, those received via email directly often required further follow up to request details of the complaint for triage. · Councillors were made aware if a complaint was made about them even if the complaint was closed. · There was mandatory training sessions planned for Members in May 2026 with two different sessions one in the afternoon one in the evening to ensure Members can attend. · Group Leaders were made aware of complaints, as laid out in the Complaints Handling Procedure. · There has been a consultation about changes, but the data was not yet available.
In response to questions, the Independent Member advised that:
· If the public make a complaint on a decision made by Councillors in a meeting, for example a planning decision, they might raise a Code of Conduct complaint. The triage process will weed out these complaints if there is no legitimate breach of the Code of conduct. · As a taxpayer of North Herts District Council, it was troubling that a third of complaints are Councillor on Councillor, which resulted in money being spent on procedure rather than constituents. · Not all councillors are part of a political group; therefore, mediation could not be done exclusively by group leaders.
Councillor Sean Nolan proposed the recommendations as outlined in the report and Councillor Val Bryant seconded.
The following Members took part in the debate:
· Councillor Ralph Muncer · Councillor Vijaiya Poopalasingham · Councillor Val Bryant · Councillor Sean Prendergast · Councillor Keith Hoskins · Councillor Elizabeth Dennis
Points raised in the debate included that:
· Complaints could be taken informally, but the Council must recognise that making a complaint should not be taken lightly by the complainant. · Complaints should not be used for political point scoring but for legitimate grievances against Councillors. · It should be investigated if there is a way to deal with Councillor on Councillor complaints less formally, to reduce costs. · A working group should be formed to address the Councillor on Councillor complaints and if groups are not being manged properly then ask for support via the Local Government Association or the Local Government Information Unit.
Councillor Keith Hoskins proposed amending the recommendation to include ... view the full minutes text for item 14. |