Issue - meetings

If a Councillor has any prejudicial or personal interest in a particular report he/she should declare the existence and nature of the interest at the commencement of the consideration of the item or as soon as it becomes apparent.

At meetings where members of the public are allowed to be in attendance and speak, any Councillor with a prejudicial interest may also make representations, give evidence or answer questions about the matter. The Councillor must then withdraw immediately from the meeting before the matter is discussed and any vote taken, unless a dispensation has been obtained from the Standards Committee.

Where members of the public are not allowed to be in attendance, then the Councillor with a prejudicial interest should withdraw from the meeting whilst the matter is under consideration, unless the disability has been removed by the Standards Committee.

The Mayor advised Councillors that, in relation to agenda item 6.4 – ‘Councillors’ Allowances Scheme: Annual Review’, the Standards Board had advised that it was necessary for all Councillors to declare their allowances as personal interests under the Code of Conduct.  In order to manage this with the minimum of disruption, all Councillors present in the Chamber would be deemed as having declared a personal interest in this item (unless the Councillor objects), and this fact would be duly noted and recorded in the minutes.  This was agreed unanimously.