Standards Committee - 31 July 2025

The meeting opened with the election of the Standards Committee leadership. Councillor Alvey moved, and Councillor Moorcroft seconded, that Councillor Jenkin be elected Chairman; the motion was carried on a show of hands. Councillor Jenkin then moved, seconded by Councillor Moorcroft, that Councillor P Mitchell be elected Vice‑Chairman, which was also carried. The minutes of the Standards Committee meeting of 24 April 2025 were subsequently approved and signed by the new Chairman.

The Group Manager (Assurance) and the Customer Feedback Manager presented the complaints reports. Key points included the availability of the Council’s complaints procedure on the website and the risk of premature referrals to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) if the internal process is bypassed. A temporary increase in waste‑collection complaints was expected due to the rollout of the latest service, and the Committee noted that private legal‑action figures were not currently captured. Concerns were raised about rising demand for social‑care services without corresponding capacity, and members were reminded of the need for careful social‑media use. The Committee resolved to note the LGSCO Complaints Report and thank the Complaints Team for recent improvements.

The Ethical Standards Complaints Report for Q1 2025‑2026 was then considered. The Group Manager identified a vacancy for a third independent member and outlined the recruitment timeline, aiming for a late‑August 2025 advertisement with a 4‑6‑week response period. It was agreed that the Senior Democratic Officer would invite expressions of interest for new Working Groups. The Committee approved the work programme for July 2025‑July 2026 and re‑established four Working Groups covering recruitment, adult social‑care complaints, the Code of Conduct and related procedures, and “Together for Families” complaints.

Finally, several policy and reporting items were approved. The Annual Report of the Standards Committee for 1 April 2024‑31 March 2025 was recommended for Council approval. The Ethical Standards Complaints Procedures were adopted, and the Unreasonable Customer Behaviour Policy was approved subject to two amendments: inclusion of the Chairman in any 12‑month review discussions and correction of the identified disconnect between the Officer and Councillor systems. Additional discussions addressed sanctions, safeguarding complaint handling, and members’ access to cautionary registers, with actions agreed to clarify procedures and improve system integration.