Agenda, decisions and minutes

None declared.

The Standards Committee AGREED to grant dispensation until May 2014, the duration of the current Parish Council, to Gamlingay Parish Councillor Graeme Brown, with the reminder that he is still to declare an interest in any matters concerning Gamlingay Community Centre and that he has been granted a dispensation, by stating that, “I declare an interest as a member of the holding / custodian trust for Gamlingay Community Centre, for which I have been granted a dispensation by the Standards Committee”.

The Standards Committee had received a request from a Councillor Graeme Brown of Gamlingay Parish Council for a dispensation to enable him to participate in matters relating to the Gamlingay Community Centre’s financial affairs or regulatory issues such as planning permission, licensing or contracts.

An extraordinary meeting of the Standards Committee had been called to consider this dispensation at the earliest possible date, as it was understood that the Community Centre was a standing item on current Parish Council meeting agendas and the full Standards Committee was not scheduled to meet until 8 December 2010.  The quorum for the Standards Committee was three, as long as the Chairman was an Independent Member and at least one of the other two members was a Parish Council Member.  The Chairman confirmed that the Standards Committee was quorate.

The Standards Committee previously had advised Gamlingay Parish Council that any new Parish Councillors should also apply for dispensations from their interest in the Community Centre and Councillor Brown was recently co-opted.  The Standards Committee previously had granted dispensations to all current Gamlingay Parish Councillors, so the absence of a dispensation for Councillor Brown would not prevent the Parish Council from conducting its business, but it would place him on unequal footing with his colleagues for no justifiable reason.  Gamlingay Parish Council was the holding / custodian trustee for the Community Centre and the Deputy Monitoring Officer had advised the Parish Council that all councillors would have a personal interest in the community centre, and likely would have a personal and prejudicial interest in matters relating to regulatory or financial issues. 

The Standards Committee AGREED to grant dispensation until May 2014, the duration of the current Parish Council, to Gamlingay Parish Councillor Graeme Brown, with the reminder that he is still to declare an interest in any matters concerning Gamlingay Community Centre and that he has been granted a dispensation, by stating that, “I declare an interest as a member of the holding / custodian trust for Gamlingay Community Centre, for which I have been granted a dispensation by the Standards Committee”.