Agenda and minutes

Councillor Keane.

The Committee is asked to consider whether by resolution to exclude the public from the meeting during consideration of the items of business marked with an ‘E’ reference because of the possibility of the disclosure of exempt information.

Resolved:  The Sub Committee agrees that the meeting be held in public.

The Sub Committee will convene to consider whether any further sanctions are to be imposed on the Subject Member for failure to comply with the original sanctions imposed at the Sub Committee Hearing on 4 November 2014.

A copy of the Decision Notice and Minutes of the Sub Committee meeting attached.

Further to the meeting of the Standards (Ad Hoc) Sub Committee on 4 November 2014, the Sub Committee convened to consider whether any further sanctions were to be imposed on Councillor R Brierley for failure to comply with the original sanctions imposed.

The Standards (Ad Hoc) Sub Committee was reminded that at the original hearing, it was resolved that all original sanctions imposed would be monitored and further sanctions would be considered should the Member fail to comply with the actions.  The Assistant Director – Legal, John Mitchell, confirmed that Councillor R Brierley had not complied with the sanctions imposed as he had not submitted a written apology to the Monitoring Officer for circulation to the complainants by 5 December 2014.

The Sub Committee concluded that by his refusal to abide by the outcome of the hearing, Councillor R Brierley had shown contempt for the Council’s Code of Conduct and the Standards Committee.  Due to his unwillingness and refusal to accept responsibility for the breach of the Code, his unwillingness and refusal to abide by the sanctions the Standards (Ad Hoc) Sub Committee placed the following further sanctions on Councillor R Brierley

Resolved: The Standards Hearing (Ad Hoc) Sub Committee agrees:-

(1)          that Council is recommended to remove Councillor Brierley from the Confident Places Scrutiny Committee;

(2)          that Council takes into consideration Councillor Brierley’s conduct and  his unwillingness and refusal to abide by the sanctions imposed by the Standards (Ad Hoc) Sub Committee when making future appointments to committee places;

(3)          that the Council and the Standards Committee be notified of the outcome of the hearing;

(4)          that details of the outcome to be published in the press and also in a newspaper circulating in the Hindley Green area;

(5)          that the formal Decision Notice of the outcome of the hearing is to be published on the Council's website; and

(6)          that the Monitoring Officer, on behalf of the Sub Committee, notifies all complainants that the Sub Committee has met again and of the additional sanctions that are to be imposed.