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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED · To gather benchmarking information from other authorities. · To establish a Working Group.
Apologies of absence were received from Russell Stafford-Tolley.
The Chair was authorised to sign the minutes of the meeting held on the 17th June as a correct record.
No declarations were received.
Jonathan Goolden and County Councillor Bev Baynham joined the meeting. The Committee received the report of the Head and Legal and Monitoring Officer (copy filed with signed minutes) A. General Standards Issues for County Councillors and Co-opted Members There were no issues to report. B. Referral of County Councillors to the Ombudsman Wales There had been 3 referrals from the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, two had been concluded and one was under consideration. C. Dispensations Applications - County Councillors No applications for dispensation had been received from County Councillors. D. Ombudsman Wales – Our Findings The Committee noted the Ombudsman for Wales - Our findings E. Adjudication Panel for Wales Details of cases considered by the APW are available via the following link: Decisions | The Adjudication Panel for Wales (gov.wales) F. National Forum for Standards Committee The Vice-Chair reported on the meeting of the National Forum for Standards Committees held on 29 June 2026. Members were advised that a workshop had been held to consider proposed changes to the Local Resolution Protocol, with stakeholder feedback having been tested and proposals submitted to the Welsh Government. It was noted that the Adjudication Panel for Wales reported a low caseload, although there had been an increase in cases involving the misuse of social media. Members were also advised of improvements in Public Services Ombudsman for Wales waiting times and caseload management, with equality and respect continuing to be the main themes of complaints received. The Welsh Local Government Association reported good progress in developing member induction materials in preparation for the 2027 local government elections. The next meeting of the National Forum would be held on the 25th January 2027. G. Date of Next Meeting The next meeting of the Standards Committee will be held on the 17th February 2026 at 2pm
The Chair reported on her observations of the Full Council meeting held on 5 March 2026. It was noted that identifying speakers during webcast meetings could be challenging, however, potential technical solutions were being explored. The Committee also considered arrangements for future observations of Council meetings, with dates to be allocated to members accordingly.
Part of an issue followed across 3 meetings
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED · To gather benchmarking information from other authorities. · To establish a Working Group.
The Chair commented that meetings had been positive and thanked Group Leaders for their engagement, however it had been recognised that the current format of the meetings required further refinement and that the overall process should be reviewed. It was proposed to gather benchmarking information from other authorities on their arrangements for meetings and for a Working Group to be established. RESOLVED · To gather benchmarking information from other authorities. · To establish a Working Group.
Members noted the report. The Chair added that she and Debby Jones the then Deputy Monitoring Officer had met with the Ombudsman and received positive feedback regarding the Committees correspondence and been provided reassurance regarding improvements in investigation times and the additional resources being committed to reducing delays.
The Committee noted the work programme and the addition of the following: February 2027 · Group Leaders Woking Group feedback · Observations of Full Council Meetings Members discussed arrangements for member induction following the 2027 elections and supported exploring opportunities for the Standards Committee to contribute to the induction workshops.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
Declarations are read from the minutes once they are published.
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