Standards Committee - 30 October 2025

The Standards Committee formally approved the minutes of its 31 July 2025 meeting, with the resolution moved by Councillor Alvey and seconded by Councillor Jenkin. The Heads of Governance, Elections and Democratic Services and Customer Experience each presented their reports, setting the agenda for the subsequent discussions.

A principal item of debate concerned the rise in symbolic payments, largely linked to Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) cases. Members noted an increase compared with the same quarter the previous year and agreed that any further rise would be monitored as a potential trend. It was confirmed that the Council does not benchmark its SEND payments against other authorities; instead, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) provides benchmarking through its Annual Report. While some members argued that monetary compensation cannot replace lost education, the service highlighted the statutory requirement to ensure subsequent educational provision. The Head of Governance pledged to follow up on the suggestion that compensation be restricted to educational purposes.

The Committee also addressed complaints handling. Resolutions moved by Councillor Jenkin and seconded by Councillor P Mitchell required the LGSCO Complaints Report to be noted, the continuation of monitoring waste‑service complaints with a review at the February 2026 meeting, and the provision of additional information on invoicing and payments to improve customer communication. Further discussion on the Ethical Standards Complaints Report for Q2 2025‑2026 led to a resolution, moved by Councillor Alvey and seconded by Councillor P Mitchell, to note the report and to request that the LGSCO supply quantified statistics to enable clearer performance comparison with other authorities. Members also agreed that the Annual Review Letter be noted and that the Head of Governance would seek clarification from the LGSCO on the methodology used in the report.

Finally, procedural matters were resolved. The Committee voted, on a motion by Councillor Clemens and seconded by Councillor Moorcroft, to exclude the press and public from consideration of business involving exempt personal information, in accordance with the Local Government Act 1972. A further resolution, moved by Councillor Jenkin and seconded by Councillor P Mitchell, extended the restrictions imposed on PC001/23/24 under the Unreasonable Customer Behaviour Policy for an additional two years, with the Monitoring Officer to review the declaration at six, twelve, and eighteen months, consulting the Chair at the twelve‑month point.