Agenda and minutes

Venue: Virtual Meeting - Virtual Meeting. View directions

Contact: Email: sarah.selway@teignbridge.gov.uk 

Media

Items
No. Item

9.

Apologies

Minutes:

Councillor Bullivant gave his apologies as he had a personal interest.

 

10.

Declarations of Interest

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

 

11.

Standards Investigation pdf icon PDF 565 KB

The outcome of this meeting as set out in the minutes contributed to a complaint by Cllr Daws to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman which was upheld. As requested by the Ombudsman, we publish the following statement as well as a link to the Ombudsman’s Report. 

 

Report of Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

 

Following its investigation into a complaint by Cllr Richard Daws about Teignbridge District Council, the Ombudsman found fault on the part of the Council which had caused injustice to the complainant.

 

As a result, The Standards Committee decision notice upholding the complaint that Councillor Daws breached the Code of Conduct has been withdrawn.

 

A copy of the Ombudsman’s Report is available.

 

The Committee will consider the Investigator’s Report regarding alleged breaches by District Cllr R Daws of the Council’s Code of Conduct as follows:

 

(a)      Introduction by Chairman

(b)      Report summary by Investigator

(c)       Representations from Cllr Daws and questions from the Committee on:

(i)   report sections regarding the findings of fact (including evidence from 2 out of 3 witnesses as notified by Cllr Daws regarding report paragraphs 6.8 to 6.16); and

(ii)         whether a breach of the Code has occurred

(d)      Comments (if any) from Independent Persons

(e)      Committee adjourn (with Independent Persons) to determine whether breach occurred and only if a breach is found, which of the following available sanctions (if any) should be imposed:

·       Public censure / reprimand

·       Publish the Committee’s findings

·       Recommend to full Council that Cllr Daws be removed from any committees (subject to compliance with allocation rules)

·       Training

(f)        Decision to be published within 7 days

 

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered the published report in line with the procedure set out in the agenda.

 

Attached is the You Tube stream of the meeting - Standards Committee 15 July 2020

 

The Committee resolved to go into confidential session to consider the Investigator’s recommendations regarding the alleged breaches of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

 

RESOLVED:

 

Having made a finding of facts as set out in its Decision Notice, the Committee concludes that Cllr Daws breached the Members’ Code of Conduct as provided for in the Decision Notice and that

 

(a)  The Decision Notice be published to publicly censure Cllr Daws’s conduct

(b)  It be noted that if the Committee had the power to suspend Cllr Daws from being a councillor (a power which was previously available to councils and may be reintroduced in the future), the Committee would have suspended Cllr Daws

(c)  Cllr Daws is requested to write within 10 working days of this decision being notified to him, an unequivocal letter of apology (the content of such to be approved in advance by the Monitoring Officer and Chairman of Standards Committee) to those officers to whom the Committee has found he was disrespectful

(d)  The Committee sends a letter to all staff within the Council making it clear that the Council will not tolerate disrespectful conduct by councillors towards staff

 

AND

 

RECOMMENDS to Full Council that the requirement that a failure to comply with relevant protocols and security arrangements be formally confirmed with reference to new provisions in the Code.

 

 

 

Report of Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

 

Following its investigation into a complaint by Cllr Richard Daws about Teignbridge District Council, the Ombudsman found fault on the part of the Council which had caused injustice to the complainant.

 

As a result, The Standards Committee decision notice upholding the complaint that Councillor Daws breached the Code of Conduct has been withdrawn.

 

A copy of the Ombudsman’s Report is available.