Agenda item

Rhoi gwybod i'r Pwyllgor am newidiadau i'r fframwaith moesegol statudol, sy'n cael eu cyflwyno yn Rhan 4 o Ddeddf Llywodraeth Leol ac Etholiadau (Cymru) 2021 a cheisio cytundeb o'r camau sydd i'w cyflawni wrth ymateb i'r newidiadau.

The Monitoring Officer presented the report, which sought toinform the Committee of changes to the statutory ethical framework, which were being introduced by Part 4 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021.

The Monitoring Officer provided the Standards Committee with background to the report. It was explained that the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 (‘the Act’), provides for the establishment of a new and reformed legislative framework for local government elections, democracy, performance and governance; and within Part 4 of the Act, changes were made to the statutory ethical framework set under Part III of the Local Government Act 2000. The Committee were informed that the new legislative provisions were not yet in force but were to be brought into effect on specified dates by commencement orders, which would be issued by the Welsh Government.

The Monitoring Officer continued and explained that in light of the changes, there was a need for the Committee to establish arrangements for meeting with Group Leaders to discuss Member conduct issues and ensure Group Leaders have appropriate access to advice and training. It was therefore proposed to amend the Standards Committee’s terms of reference, which would require approval by Council.

The Monitoring Officer concluded by assuring the Committee that any further action to be taken by the Committee in relation to the new legislative provisions concerning group leaders will be kept under review and considered under the Committee’s Work Programme.

With the agreement of the Chair, Non-Committee Member, County Borough Councillor P. Jarman spoke on the item. Councillor Jarman, as a longstanding Elected Member and Group Leader acknowledged the duty placed upon her and commented that the new requirement for leaders of political groups to take steps to promote and maintain high standards of conduct by members of their groups was a basic expectation.

The Member referred to the White Paper ‘Reforming Local Government: Power to Local People’, which expressed concern that an overly ‘macho’ culture in some authorities might be acting as a deterrent to women, in particular, standing for office; and spoke of an incident within the Local Authority.

Prior to concluding, the Member acknowledged that a Standards Committee would have new functions under the Bill to monitor Group Leaders’ compliance and questioned how this would be carried out. The Monitoring Officer informed that Member that Welsh Government were due to deliver the relevant guidance, which would be shared with Group Leaders.

With the agreement of the Chair, Non-Committee Member, County Borough Councillor M. Webber spoke on the item. In respect of the overly ‘macho’ culture, the Deputy Leader agreed that all individuals should be treated equally, irrespective of politics. The Deputy Leader advised that the appropriate procedure was in place for dealing with such behaviour and that refresher training for all Elected Members would be necessary.

The Standards Committee were fully supportive of Bill and the new duties placed upon Members. The Committee acknowledged the Members’ comments in relation to the overly ‘macho’ culture and were of the view that with new legislation, there was a need for a cultural change and supportive environment for better outcomes.

Referring to the above-mentioned incident within the Local Authority, the Chair queried the approach taken to support the Member in question. The Service Director of Democratic Services and Communication assured the Committee that officers had since engaged with the Member to learn from the incident and ensure that no other Member is subjected to a similar experience. The Service Director spoke of the importance of establishing a more positive culture to encourage future candidates to stand for the position. Furthermore, the Service Director spoke of the work being undertaken by the Democratic Services Committee: Diversity in Democracy Working Group, which had been established to increase diversity within democracy at the local Government Elections 2022 and any future election to reduce the barriers to attracting a more diverse pool of candidates.

The Deputy Leader also referred to the Member PDR process and explained that any issues could be discussed confidentially. In addition, the Deputy Leader spoke of the future webcasting provision and benefits of recorded meetings and invited the Standards Committee to view the facility at the Council Chamber at an appropriate time.

The Chair thanked the Members for their contributions and the Standards Committee RESOLVED:

1.    To note the information set out in the report;

2.    To recommend to Council that the Committee’s terms of reference be amended as set out in paragraph 4.5, once the new legislation is brought into force; and

3.    To note that Welsh Government is proposing to undertake a review of the Statutory Ethical Framework in Wales ahead of the Local Government Elections in 2022 and information in respect of this review will be presented to Committee as and when it becomes available.