Agenda

To elect a Chair for the meeting

Members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary or affected interests in respect of any matter to be considered at this meeting.

Any Member with a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in a matter should withdraw from the meeting when the matter is under consideration and should notify the Democratic Services Officer in attendance that they are withdrawing as they have such an interest. If the Disclosable Pecuniary Interest is not entered on the register of Members interests the Monitoring Officer must be notified of the interest within 28 days.

Any Member with an affected Interest in a matter must disclose the interest to the meeting.  There is no requirement to withdraw from the meeting when the interest is only an affected interest, but the Monitoring Officer should be notified of the interest, if not previously notified of it, within 28 days of the meeting.

To note the Code of Conduct Panel hearing procedure.

The Panel will determine whether the Public and Press should be excluded from the meeting and whether any or all documents should be withheld as agenda item 6 includes documents containing exempt information as defined in Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

If the Panel decides to proceed in closed session, it may choose to move the following resolution:

That pursuant to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended, and having regard to the public interest, members of the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the consideration of the following item which involves the likely disclosure of exempt information under the following category of Schedule 12A of that Act:

(1)        Information relating to any individual  (Item 6)

If the Panel choose to proceed in open session, the documents relating to the Code of Conduct complaint, including the subject member’s identity, will be published immediately on the Bracknell Forest Council website.

To include:

1.     Presentation of complaint (Monitoring Officer/Investigating Officer)

2.     Presentation of subject member’s case

3.     Summing up

4.     Views/submission of the independent person

5.     Deliberations of the Code of Conduct Panel

6.     Formal announcement of decision

The range of possible sanctions are as follows:

·        The Panel recommending that the Council issue a formal Censure towards the Councillor/Co-opted member e.g. through a Motion at a Council meeting

·        The Panel publishing its decision by issuing a press release

·        The Panel reporting findings to Council for inclusion on Council agenda

·        The Panel recommending to the Councillor’s group leader (or in the case of “ungrouped” members, recommend to Council or to Committees) that he/she be removed from any or all committees or sub-committees

·        The Panel recommending to the Leader of the Council that the Councillor be removed from the Executive, or removed from particular portfolio responsibilities

·        The Panel recommending that the Councillor be removed from any or all outside appointments to which he/she has been appointed or nominated by the Leader of the Council

·        The Panel Instructing the Monitoring Officer to arrange appropriate training

·        The Panel requiring the Councillor/Co-opted Member to issue a written apology to the complainant in an open letter

·        The Panel referring the matter to the party whip in order that the Political group may consider what action to take under its own procedures