The Head of Legal Partnership and Monitoring Officer presented a report providing an update on complaints received under the Members’ Code of Conduct during the period 15 January 2019 to date.  The report also set out the results of an investigation into the release of exempt information contrary to paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 and actions to be taken to help manage the risk of exempt information being made public.  It was noted that:

·  Since the last report to the Committee on 14 January 2019, there had been 5 new Parish Council complaints.  One complaint was rejected because it failed the Legal Jurisdiction Criteria Test; one complaint was rejected because it failed the Local Assessment Criteria Test, but there was a recommendation that appropriate training be undertaken; two complaints were resolved informally and the Subject Members undertook training; and the outcome of Police inquiries was awaited before the assessment of the fifth allegation was completed.

·  The investigation into the release of exempt information had not been able to establish, based on the balance of probabilities, who was, or who may have been, responsible for the exempt information being leaked to the press.

Rather than noting, the Committee approved the actions to be taken to help manage the risk of exempt information being made public and requested that the actions be referred to the Democracy and General Purposes Committee to review how they are implemented.

RESOLVED:

1.  That the contents of the report be noted.

2.  That the following be approved as a result of the investigation into the release of exempt information.  Actions to help manage the risks will be taken as follows:

i.  A training course will be made available to Members on Media training and insight;

ii.  Officers will be provided with training from Democratic Services on how to structure reports to minimise the information required to be taken in Part II of a meeting;

iii.  Regular meetings with Communications will be offered to all Group Leaders to review, plan and schedule public relations, as appropriate, for Council activities; and

iv.  Tighter control of exempt information, via named checking in of information after a meeting, will be implemented by Democratic Services.

3.  That the actions be referred to the Democracy and General Purposes Committee to review how they are implemented.