Issue - meetings

To approve the proposed changes to the Councillor Code of Conduct.

The Council considered the proposed changes to the Councillor Code of Conduct

On the proposition of Councillor Allen, Chair of Governance and Audit Committee seconded by Councillor Wade it was

RESOLVED that Council approve the changes to the Councillor Code of Conduct as set out in Appendix C of the report and agree to the constitution being amended accordingly.

To recommend that Council approve the changes to the Councillor Code of Conduct.

The Borough Solicitor, Sanjay Prashar, provided an update to the Committee on the cursory amendments to the existing Code of Conduct for Councillors and Co-opted Members which had been agreed by the Code of Conduct Working Group.

The current Code of Conduct had been in place since 2012. In January 2020 the Committee for Standards in Public Life included a best practice recommendation for

local authorities to the adopt a Code of Conduct based on a model produced by the

Local Government Association (LGA) to adopt with or without amendments should authorities choose to do so.

In January 2022 the Code of Conduct Working group of Bracknell Forest Council Councillors convened to consider whether the Council should adopt the Model Code in whole, in part or alternatively retain the existing Code.

The Working group expressed general satisfaction with the Council’s existing Code

but suggested a few cursory amendments:

(i) redraft the Code in first person,

(ii) reference the Mayor’s Charter and

(iii) include a link to the LGA Guidance

The amendments were drafted by the Borough Solicitor and agreed at a meeting with the Chair of the Working Group and the Assistant Director Democratic & Registration Services, which were then circulated to members of the Working Group in July for final approval.

As a result of the Committee’s comments and questions, the following points were made:

·       The gifts and hospitality allowance would remain at £25 and not increase to £50 as recommended by the LGA.

RECOMMENDED thatCouncil approve the changes to the Councillor Code of Conduct as set out in Appendix C of the Borough Solicitor’s report and agree to the constitution being amended accordingly.