To receive and record apologies for absence.  

Apologies were received from Councillor Johnson and Councillor Gass.

To receive and record any declarations of interest from members present in respect of any of the various matters on the agenda for this meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 7^th December 2021.

The minutes from the meeting of the East Hampshire District Council Standards Committee held on 7th December 2021 were agreed as a correct record.

The Deputy Monitoring Officer introduced the report.

Members are requested to NOTE the final report of the Southern Internal Audit Partnership following it’s review of “Governance Improvement” and the issuing by the Audit Team of a Substantial Assurance Opinion.

Proposed by Councillor Davies and seconded by Councillor Mouland it was RESOLVED that the Governance Improvement Report be NOTED.

The Deputy Monitoring Officer introduced the report.

Members discussed the membership panel and saw good sense in reappointing the same 6 members who worked so effectively last year.

Those members are:

Cllr Anthony Williams

Cllr Matthew Gass

Cllr Nick Drew

Cllr Paula Langley

Cllr Steve Hunt

Cllr Jamie Matthews

Proposed by Councillor Mouland and seconded by Councillor Davies RESOLVED that the Constitutional Liaison Panel be APPROVED.

RECOMMENDED that the press and public be excluded as:

a) It is likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted,
or the nature of the proceedings, that if a member of the public
were present during the item there would be disclosure to them of
exempt information as specified in Part 1 of Schedule 12A (as
amended) to the Local Government Act 1972; and

b) In all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in
maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in
disclosing the information.

The Committee will consider a report on Councillor Code of Conduct
complaints received or ongoing since 1 January 2022.

The appendix to the report is exempt, therefore the Committee will be
invited to consider passing a resolution to enter exempt session
(agenda item 6) if it wishes to discuss the details contained within it.

The Monitoring Officer introduced the item advising the committee that it was a standing item on the agenda to provide members with a general update on the management of councillor conduct complaints. Members of the committee were provided with an exempt table which set out the present complaints and their general progress. The committee were advised that if they wished to discuss any matters within the report it would require them to enter an exempt session.

Members did not request to enter an exempt session.

Proposed by Councillor Mouland and seconded by Councillor Davies RESOLVED that the Councillor Code of Conduct Complaints be NOTED.