Standards Committee Mission Statement
The Standards Committee
promotes and maintains high standards of conduct within the
district council and parish councils, through the
Members' Code of Conduct.
It is one of the
Council’s governance committees: bodies which have
decision-making powers and report to full Council. District Council members are appointed by full
Council, parish members are elected directly by parish councils and
meetings, and independent members have their appointment ratified
by full Council following a recommendation from the Standards
Committee Appointments Panel. All
members serve four-year terms and are eligible for
re-appointment. Further details
about the responsibilities of the Standards Committee are available
in
Part 2, Article 9 and
Part 3, Table 1 (Responsibility for Council Functions)
of the Constitution.
Please see also
Part 5 of the Constitution for the procedures for the local
investigation of referred
complaints and for local standards hearings, which were adopted
by
Council on 25 January 2007.
This body comprises at least
six district councillors (council members), at least four persons
independent of the council (selected following advertisement and
known as independent members) and at least two parish councillors
from parishes within the district (parish members). Standards Committee meetings are open to the
public, although deliberations may be held in private
session. In 2012/13, the Committee
includes seven council members, including representatives from each
of the three recognised political groups on the Council, and two
non-group members.
Further information about the
Standards Committee is available on the
Parish Council Guidance
page.
If you are a District or Parish
Councillor who might require a dispensation, this
flowchart could help you decide whether or not one is
necessary. If you need to apply, please
download and complete an
Application for Dispensation.
Further information:
·
Standards Committee Newsletter
·
Local Code of Conduct Complaints Process and Forms
·
The Standards Committee: Composition and Terms of Reference
(SCDC Constitution, Part 2, Article 9)
·
SCDC Code of Conduct (SCDC Constitution, Part 5, Section
F)
·
Standards
Committee 2011/12 Annual Report to Council