Minutes - draft

These minutes are draft and are to be agreed.

Minutes of the Standards Committee of the Metropolitan Police Authority held on 15 September 2010 at 10 Dean Farrar Street, London SW1H 0NY.

Present

Members

• Christopher Boothman
• John Bowers
• Anne Dickens (Chair)
• Janet Grey
• Toby Harris

MPA officers

• Helen Sargeant (Monitoring Officer)
• Nick Baker (Head of Authority Business and Member Support)

1. Election of chair and vice chair

1.1 Nominations were sought for the positions of Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee.

1.2 Christopher Boothman proposed and Janet Grey seconded that Anne Dickens as Chair and Anne Dickens and Christopher Boothman proposed and seconded Janet Grey as Vice-Chair of the Committee.

Resolved – That Anne Dickens be appointed Chair and Janet Grey as Vice Chair of the Standards Committee and the appointments be up until the first meeting of the Standards Committee after the annual meeting of the Authority in June 2011.

2. Apologies for absence

(Agenda item 1)

2.1 Apologies for absence were received from Jennette Arnold and Kirsten Hearn.

3. Declarations of interest

(Agenda item 2)

3.1 No declarations of interest were made.

3.2 Members sought clarification about declaring an interest in relation to agenda item 9 ‘DARA report on members’ allowances and expenses’. Members were informed that the report provided an update on the control framework and recommendations made in relation to procedures for members’ allowances and expenses and was not about any specific members.

4. Minutes

(Agenda item 3)

4.1 The Committee considered the minutes of the meeting held on 10 March September 2010.

Resolved – That the minutes referred to above be agreed and signed as a correct record.

5. Update on the standards regime

(Agenda item 5)

5.1 A report was presented that informed the Committee of the Coalition Government’s proposals in relation to the abolition of Standards for England as well as noting Standards for England’s Review of the Local Standards Framework.

5.2 Members were informed that the Coalition Government had committed to abolishing Standards for England. This commitment is contained in its programme for government, in response to a parliamentary question and was expected to be contained in the Decentralisation and Localism Bill. Until more details about the Bill were available, members were informed that much of the work of the standards committee would be on hold.

5.3 The Committee were also informed that the Greater London Authority had informed the MPA’s Monitoring Officer that the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) had confirmed, informally, that consideration would also be given to the effect that the abolition of the Standards Board would have on the conduct regime and that the role of standards committees within the conduct regime would be reviewed. DCLG had further indicated that, if the Standards Board and model code of conduct were abolished, they considered that there was a sound basis for no longer requiring local authorities’ standards committees to perform a conduct function. It is currently anticipated that the Bill will be submitted to Parliament in September 2010.

5.3 Members briefly discussed possible impacts and the future of the standards regime. They asked the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the Chair of the Committee, if the MPA response to the current ‘Policing London in 21st Century’ consultation could include a statement about the future of the standards regime. Officers also agreed to circulate to members a copy of the draft response.

5.4 Members also agreed that as further details about the future governance arrangements, including standards issues become clear, if possible, a meeting should be convened so that members could be informed and respond where necessary. Alternatively, if convening a meeting was not possible information should be disseminated to members via e-mail, and members would be asked to input into any response to any consultation.

Resolved - That

1. the proposal of the Coalition Government to abolish the Standards Board regime be noted and that the letter from Standards for England to Standards Committee Chairs, attached at Appendix 1 to the report also be noted;
2. the comments from the Department for Communities and Local Government regarding the role of local standards committees be noted;
3. the Standards for England’s Review of the Local Standards Framework attached at Appendix 2 to the report be noted
4. the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the Chair, include in the MPA response to the ‘Policing London in 21st Century’ consultation reference to the future of the Standards Committee; and
5. Members are kept informed about the future governance arrangements and, particularly around standards issues.

6. Update on the local assessment of complaints about MPA members and committee's annual returns to standards for England

(Agenda item 6)

6.1 Members received a report that sought approval to the minutes of an Assessment Sub-Committee meeting about a Member complaint and to note the Annual Return to Standards for England

6.2 Members noted that the Assessment Sub-Committee decision notice had disclosed the names of both the complainant and the MPA member. Following discussion, the Committee agreed that as a matter of principle it would publish the name of the Member complained about, even if the Sub-Committee decided to take no further action on the complaint. .

6.3 The Committee noted the Annual Return to Standards for England and that Standards for England had communicated in its bulletin that it would no longer collect annual returns from authorities. .

Resolved - That

1. the report be noted;
2. the relevant Members of the Assessment Sub-Committee note and approve the minutes of the Assessment Sub-Committee meeting of 12 April 2010 and that the Committee notes the minutes and Decision Notice of that meeting attached at Appendix 1 to the report; and
3. the Committee’s Annual Return to Standards for England attached at Appendix 2 to the report and recent correspondence from Standards for England on monitoring information be noted.

7. Outcomes of London-wide Standards Committee seminar

(Agenda item 7)

7.1 A report was received that informed the Committee of the Seminar of London Standards Committees held on 11 February 2010 which was attended by two members of the MPA’s Standards Committee.

7.2 The Seminar had included a number of sessions including’

• How do standards committees contribute to the effectiveness of your authorities and how do they work?
• What have been your greatest successes or innovations and biggest problems in relation to the local handling of complaints? and
• Looking to the future, do you believe that the Standards regime is fit for purpose, should it be changed, and, if so, how, and how we can go about securing the changes?

7.3 The report also informed members of the feedback from the session by those who had attended.

Resolved – That the report on the Seminar of London Standards Committees held on 11 February 2010, appended to the report be noted.

8. Update on politically restricted posts

(Agenda item 8)

8.1 Members received a report that summarised the current law on employees’ posts being politically restricted and provided guidance to staff for members to agree when a member of staff wish to apply for an exemption from political restriction.

8.2 In noting the guidance, the Committee asked for further details on the process as to how posts were/ are designated politically restricted and how many and which posts in the organisation do the restrictions apply to. Members also asked if criteria for use by the Committee when considering exemptions could be developed for consideration.

Resolved – That

1. the Committee noted the contents of the report;
2. agreed the guidance set out at Appendix 1 of the report, subject to 3; and
3. the Committee receive an update report that provides proposed criteria for the Committee to use when considering requests for exemptions and details of the process as to how posts were/ are designated politically restricted and how many and which posts in the organisation would the restrictions apply to.

9. DARA report on Members allowances and expenses

(Agenda item 9)

9.1 At the meeting of the Committee in March 2010, members requested that a report be presented that provided an update on the recommendations of the Directorate of Audit, Risk and Assessment (DARA) report on MPA members allowances and expenses.

9.2 The review was carried out at the request of the MPA Senior Management Team (SMT) in order to ensure that adequate and effective methods for the payment of allowances and expenses to MPA members are in place and a final report was presented to the MPA SMT in late April 2010.

9.3 Members had a discussion about the Standards Committee’s terms of reference and asked officers to assess if there was any cross over with the Corporate Governance Committee.

Resolved – That

1. the report be noted.
2. that officers look at the Standards Committee terms of reference to assess if there are any issues of duplication.

10. Standards indicators

(Agenda item 10)

10.1 Members received quarterly standard indicators for the periods January-March 2010 and April-June 2010

10.2 A correction was made to the number of complaints made about members for the period April to June 2010 and that there had been 1 complaint.

10.3 Members noted the Indicators and asked officers to review if all indicators fall within the remit of the Committee. In regard to Freedom of information (FOI) Indicators members asked if those FOI that had not been completed within timescales could be provided.

10.4 In noting the indicators for gifts and hospitality, the Committee were concerned that there appeared to be a low number of declarations. Whilst it was accepted that the responsibility to declare a gift and hospitality lay with members, the Committee asked if the current guidance could be looked at and if officers could develop a more transparent method of reporting members’ declarations. It was also suggested that the same method for developing members’ declarations should also apply to staff.

10.5 The Monitoring Officer informed members that a report was provided to the GLA’s Committee on a regular basis on actual declarations of gifts and hospitality made by members in the previous period, as well as numbers of staff who had declared, and actual gifts and hospitality for senior management.

10.6 The Monitoring Officer also informed members that she was looking into GLA Group-wide reporting of interests and gifts and hospitality declarations, particularly for Assembly members.

Resolved – That

1. the standard indicators be received.
2. a report be brought back to Standards Committee setting out the gifts and hospitality declared by Members, and the numbers of staff that had declared.
3. members would be updated at the next meeting on the GLA Group-wide reporting of interests and gifts and hospitality

11. Standards Committee work plan 2010/11

(Agenda item 11)

11.1 the Committee considered the work plan for 2010/11;

11.2 members noted the proposed work plans outline in the report and asked that future work plans should indicated regular items and meeting specific items; and

11.3 in addition to the items identified for the next meeting of the Committee, it was agreed to received the following items

• Guest presentation – MPA Chief Executive to provide overview and future of Authority
• Standards Committee Terms of reference should be added to agenda
• Politically restricted posts – Exemptions criteria
• Gifts and Hospitality.

Resolved – That the work plan for 2010/11 as outlined in the report be agreed.

The meeting closed at 3.06 p.m.

Actions from standards committee

Report 5 – future of Standards regime

Paragraph in consultation document
Try to arrange a meeting, if not consult with delegated authority to Chair
Send to Anne, Janet, John consultation document response

Report 8

Would like a report on the structure and proposed prps, and process to make a decision.
As well as criteria – john bowers happy to help
We could circulate guidance stating this is subject to future work

Report 9

Look at s/c ts of reference, look at how cross over to other – CG and audit. Are we covering everything or are things falling through the net?
Report on this.
TOR should be on agenda.

Report 10

Nick to look at standards indicators, in particular revisit FOI, and also whether other indicators fall to this committee or other and then ask that other committee to look at them.
G&H register – report as per GLA.
Similar for staff – which committee
New report – and what GLA are doing re g&h

Report 11

Standard and additional/ potential for the following year
Other
Presentation to MPA – CC could be the guest speaker
Emma to email IMs to see if want to attend full authority meeting.

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