The Council will appoint a Standards Committee

Composition

(a) Membership of the Committee.  The Standards Committee will be composed of at least:

(i) six Councillors other than the Leader; and

(ii) four persons who are not a Councillor or an Officer of the Council or Members of any other body having a Standards Committee (Independent Members); and

(iii) four Members of a Parish/Town Council wholly or mainly in the Council’s  area (a Parish Member);

(b) The Standards Committee need not be politically proportionate.

(c) Independent members.  Independent Members will be entitled to vote at meetings;

(d) Parish Members.  Parish Members must be present when matters relating to Parish/Town Councils or their Members are being considered;

(e) Chairing the Committee.  An independent member must chair the Committee.

Role and Function

The Standards Committee will have the following roles and functions:

(a) promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct by Councillors, co-opted members and church and parent governor representatives and officers;

(b) assisting the Councillors, co-opted members and church and parent governor representatives to observe the Members’ Code of Conduct;

(c) advising the Council on the adoption or revision of the Members’ and officers’ Codes of Conduct;

(d) monitoring the operation of the Members’ and Officers’ Codes of Conduct;

(e) advising, training or arranging to train Councillors, co-opted members and church and parent governor representatives on matters relating to the Members’ Code of Conduct;

(f) to consider and determine allegations that individual members have breached the Members Code of Conduct.

(g) taking all decisions that are necessary to deal with individual cases of alleged breaches of the Code including imposing appropriate penalties.

(h) taking appropriate action as recommended by Standards for England in respect of investigations carried by the National Board through an Ethical Standards Officer or an Adjudication Panel;

(i) granting dispensations to Councillors, co-opted members and church and parent governor representatives from requirements relating to interests set out in the Members’ Code of Conduct;

(j) dealing with any reports from a case tribunal or interim case tribunal, and any report from the Monitoring Officer on any matter which is referred by an Ethical Standards Officer to the Monitoring Officer;

(k) the exercise of (a) to (j) above in relation to the parish Councils wholly or mainly in the City of Wakefield Metropolitan District and the members of those parish Councils; and

(l) reviewing and monitoring the Council’s response to:

(i) probity and standards issues arising from internal audit functions reports of the external auditor,

(ii) corporate governance issues, including overview of whistle blowing, antifraud and corruption policies and complaints handling;

(iii) Local Ombudsman's investigations.

(m) approving local settlement of Ombudsman investigations.

(n)  the granting and supervision of exemptions of certain local authority posts from political restrictions.

(o) local authority posts from political restrictions.

(p) any other functions allocated to the Standards Committee under any enactment from time to time.

The Council’s Standards Committee deal with complaints against Councillors.  In some cases the Standards Committee will refer cases to Standards for England (please see “Related Links”).

Frequency of Meetings

The Committee will meet on at least four occasions per year and at such other occasions as may be necessary.