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Standards in
Local Government
May 2011
Standards in Local Government
The County of Powys covers 2000 square miles – about a
quarter of Wales. It is a sparsely
populated upland area with a scattered
population of 131,000 centred on a number of towns
including Welshpool, Newtown, Llandrindod Wells, Brecon and
Ystradgynlais.
Powys County Council is a unitary
authority with 110 Town and Community Councils across
the area and over 1,000 Town and
Community Councillors.
What the Standards Committee does
Powys County Council has established a
Standards Committee since 1999 following regulations
from the then Welsh Office prior to the
requirement to constitute such a Committee by the
Local Government Act 2000.
The Standards Committee covers matters
relating to Powys County Council and there is
a Standards Community Sub-Committee
which covers matters relating to the Town and
Community Councils within Powys. Both
Committees have 9 Members.
The role of the Committees is as follows:
(a) Promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct by
councillors, co-opted
members and church and parent governor
representatives.
(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’ Code of Conduct.
(d) Monitoring the operation of the Members’ Code 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) 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.
(g) Dealing with any reports from a case tribunal or interim
case tribunal, and any report
from the Monitoring Officer on any
matter referred to that officer by the Public Services
Ombudsman for Wales.
Standards Committee only
(h) Overseeing the Council’s whistle-blowing regime.
(i) Providing advice to individual councillors on such issues
as the treatment of personal
interest and on conduct matters
generally.
(j) Determining appropriate action on matters referred to it by
the Public Services
Ombudsman for Wales.
(k) Overseeing the Register of Interest of members, co-opted
members and church and
parent governor representatives and
officers.
(l) Overseeing the Council’s rules and protocols on
accountability of members.
(m) Overseeing the attendance of members and co-opted members
at committees.
(n) Overseeing the training of members serving on all
committees of the Council.
(o) Exercising an appellate role (independent members only)
under the Habitual or
Vexatious Complainants policy.
Standards Committee
The Membership as at May 2011 is as follows:
Independent Members
Ralph Miller (Vice-Chairman)
Term of office: Appointed 27th
January 2006
for six years.
Term expires 26th January
2012.
Ralph Miller has been a Member of the
Powys Standards
Committee since 2006 and Vice-Chairman
since 2009. He is a
Governor at Gwernyfed High School. He is a retired scientist
who had a varied career in the public
and private sector
including posts in the Scientific Civil
Service, Welsh Water,
Royal Mail and the BBC.
Peter Swanson (Chairman)
Term of office: Appointed 4th
March 2002 for
six years.
Reappointed 3rd March 2008 for four years. Term expires
2nd
March 2012.
Peter Swanson has been a Member of the
Powys Standards
Committee since 2002 and Chairman since
July 2004. He
is a serving magistrate having been
appointed as a Justice
of the Peace in 1983. In the past he has
chaired the
Powys Health Board, Coleg Powys and was
a member of
the Wales Agricultural Training Board. He has
farmed in
Montgomeryshire since 1970 before which
he ran a chain
of hotels and restaurants in Birmingham.
Susan Jarman
Term of office:
Appointed 25th November 2007 for six years. Term
expires 24th October 2013.
Susan Jarman was
appointed to the Powys Standards Committee in 2007. She has worked in the
Banking business and
for the Post Office. In 1992 she became a magistrate on the Montgomeryshire
Bench and has been
Deputy Chairman since 2006. She served on the Dyfed Powys Magistrates Court
Committee before Her
Majesty’s Courts Service undertook management of magistrates’ courts.
Marian Harris
Term of office:
Appointed 22nd June 2004 for six years.
Reappointed 29th April 2010 for four years.
Term expires 21st June 2014.
Marian Harris was
appointed to the Powys Standards Committee in 2004. Now retired she worked as a
secretary in a
Solicitors’ office in Abergavenny and Llanidloes, at Neville Hall Hospital, Abergavenny and
as Deputy Practice
Manager in Rhayader Surgery. She has served on the Rhayader Primary School and
Llanidloes High School Governing Bodies. She
believes that fair play and common sense are of utmost
importance.
Helen Rhydderch-Roberts
Term of office:
Appointed 14th May 2009 for six years. Term
expires 13th May 2015.
Helen Rhydderch-Roberts
was appointed to the Powys Standards Committee in 2009 and had a career in
human resources and
executive search in the City before moving to Wales with her family. She
is Chair
of Governors at her
local primary school and takes a keen interest in politics. She believes
strongly in the
democratic process and
the importance of up-holding standards in public life as integral to the
workings
of democracy.
COUNTY COUNCILLORS
Kelvyn Curry Term of office May 2008
– May 2012.
Kelvyn Curry has been a
member of the Powys County Council Standards Committee for over ten years,
firstly as a Community
Council representative and since 2008 as a County Councillor. Formerly a teacher,
he retired from his
post with the University of Warwick in 2007. He has been a
magistrate for ten years,
served as Chair of
Governors of a primary School for over ten years and a Chair of the East Wales
Valuation Tribunal for
over fifteen years. He is currently a member of the governing body of a primary
and secondary school
and is very involved in the local community which he represents as a County
Councillor. Kelvyn
believes that public confidence in local government requires a strong ethical
approach,
which also fosters
better governance.
Fred Barker Term of office May 2008
– May 2012.
Fred Barker has been a County Councillor since 1995 when
elected onto the shadow Powys County
Council. Prior to that
he was a District Councillor at Radnor District Council.
He served as an elected
member of Chester County Borough Council from May 1954 – 1974 including six
years as an Alderman.
He was appointed Sheriff of the City in 1964 and Mayor of the City in 1968
serving time as a
member of the Investiture Committee. He was a Justice of the Peace between 1957
and 1984, and has been
a member of the Supplementary Panel since that date. He was a member of
the Liverpool Regional Hospital Board 1977 – 1983.
Viola Evans Term of office May 2008
– May 2012.
Viola Evans was elected
to Powys County Council in 1999 and has been a Member of Llanfair Caereinion
Town Council since
1974. She has chaired numerous committees including Chair of Montgomeryshire
and Chair of Powys
County Council in 2008-09. Viola has also been a Member of the Mid Wales Film
Commission. Before
becoming a Councillor Viola had 30 year career working for the Wales Tourist
Board
becoming the Director
of the Mid Wales Region.
Mike Hodges Term of office May 2008
– May 2012.
Michael Hodges has been
a Town Councillor since 2004, being elected a County Councillor in 2008 since
when he has served on
the Powys Standards Committee. He was appointed onto the Dyfed Powys Police
Authority in June 2008
where he chairs the Audit Committee. Michael believes there should be a
stronger role for
Standards Committees enabling complaints to be dealt with faster. His main
outside
interest is St John
Cymru Wales of which he is an elected Trustee. Michael is a well known figure
in
Llandrindod Wells
running a Post Office and General Store.
Clare Evans – representing
Radnorshire
Term of office May 2008
– May 2012
Clare Evans has worked
in local government for urban and rural areas and was a former Head of
European Affairs with
Newport City Council before leaving to undertake various consultancy roles
and to develop her own
business. Clare has always been interested in local affairs and has been an
independent member of
Rhayader Town Council for over 10 years and was the first female mayor of
that Council. Clare is
an appointed member of the Wales Committee of the Consumer Council for
Wales. Clare strongly
believes that confidence in our representatives and institutions is a
pre-requisite
for an enabling local
democracy.
Hywel Evans – representing
Montgomeryshire
Term of office May 2008
– May 2012
Hywel Evans has served
as Community Councillor for Llanfihangel-yng-Ngwynfa since 1982 as past
chairman and is the
current chairman. He has served on the Powys Standards Committee since 2004.
Hywel holds a firm
belief in maintaining high ethical standards and clarity in every level of life
whether
it be local government
or business. He also believes in keeping things simple to understand and
maintaining a
commonsense approach.
Revd Alan Jevons – representing
Brecknockshire
Term of office May 2008
– May 2012
Alan Jevons is a cleric
in the Church in Wales, at present working in
and around Llangorse. In the
past he has worked in
the rural parts of Herefordshire, as well as urban areas around Birmingham and
Manchester. His interests have
always veered away from church to community issues. At present he is
Chair of a local
Community Council and an Officer for the Diocesan Board for Social
Responsibility.
Peter Swanson (Chairman)
Ralph Miller (Vice-Chairman)
Marian Harris
Susan Jarman
Helen Rhydderch-Roberts
County
Councillor
Kelvyn Curry
Community Councillors
In Powys elections are held to appoint
Community Council representatives with
the
same four year term of office as for
County
Councillors. Community Councillors are
eligible to stand for two consecutive
terms
of office.
Standards Community Sub-Committee
Independent Members
10
Officers who support
the Standards Committees
Clarence Meredith – Strategic Director Law and
Governance and Monitoring Officer
01597 82 6395 clarence.meredith@powys.gov.uk
Janet Kealey
Legal Services Manager and Deputy Monitoring Officer
01597 82 6385 janet.kealey@powys.gov.uk
Saira Tamboo – Solicitor
01597 82 6071 saira.tamboo@powys.gov.uk
Wyn Richards – Scrutiny Services Manager
01597 82 6375 wyn.richards@powys.gov.uk
Liz Patterson - Committee Clerk
01597 82 6980 elizabeth.patterson@powys.gov.uk
These officers are able to provide legal
and procedural advice on the Code of
Conduct to members, co-optees, town and
community councillors and clerks,
and members of the public.
11
Training
All Councillors and
co-opted Members of Powys County Council received training on the Members’ Code
of Conduct on taking
office in 2008.
All Chairman and Clerks
of Town and Community Councils or their representatives were offered training
on the Members’ Code of
Conduct during 2008. These sessions covered compliance with the new
Members’ Code of
Conduct and encouraged councillors where appropriate to apply to the Standards
Committees for
dispensations. Refresher training was provided mid term in the summer of 2010.
Future Training
Training is offered at
the beginning of the term of office to enable new Members to receive prompt
training on the Code of
Conduct. Refresher training is offered.
The Standards
Committees appreciate the time constraints of particularly voluntary town and
community
councillors but would
stress the importance of all councillors understanding the ethical framework
which
governs their role as
councillors. Attendance at training on the Members’ Code of Conduct helps to
guard against behaviour
which could result in a complaint to the Ombudsman.
Dispensations
Any County Councillor, co-opted Member or
town or community councillor who considers that they have
a personal and
prejudicial interest in a matter may apply to the Standards Committee (in the
case of
County Councillors or co-opted Members)
or the Standards Community Sub-Committee (in the case of
town and community councillors)
for a dispensation to allow them to speak, or speak and vote on a
matter which they would
otherwise have to leave the room. The relevant committee will consider their
application and advise
the applicant and the clerk of the decision.
Applications for dispensation by Town and
Community Councillors should
be submitted by the Clerk. Application forms
can be obtained from
elizabeth.patterson@powys.gov.uk.
12
Public Services Ombudsman
for Wales
The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales receives complaints that Councillors or
co-opted
Members have broken the Code of Conduct.
The Ombudsman decides whether or not there
is a case to investigate and if so if
the case were to be proved whether it would result in a
sanction. If it is found that there is a
case to investigate and it is proved then the case is
either sent to the local Standards
Committee or to the Adjudication Panel for Wales to
consider the case depending on the
severity of the matter, and the likely sanction. The
Standards Committees have the power to
suspend a councillor for a period of up to six
months. The Adjudication Panel has the
power to disqualify a councillor for a period of up
to five years.
Annual Standards Conference
Powys send a delegation of Standards
Committee Members and Officer/s to attend the Annual
Standards Conference. The outcomes of
the Conference are fed back to the Committees. In
2010 the conference was held in Cardiff and delegates were given the opportunity
to network
with Members and Officers from across Wales. The conference explored the current
public
perception of standards and ethics in
the public arena and of the importance in maintaining
openness and transparency in the work of
Councils. The 2011 Standards Conference Wales
will be held in Llandrindod Wells.
For further information see
www.ombudsman-wales.org.uk
13
Register of Members’
Interests
It is a requirement that all Councillors
make a declaration of personal interests in a public
register. They must also sign a
declaration of acceptance of office in which they agree to abide
by the Code of Conduct within 28 days of
taking office. Any amendments to the declaration of
personal interests must be notified
within 28 days of a Member becoming aware of a change.
The register for County Councillors is a public document available for
inspection at County Hall
during office hours.
Councillors are also required to
disclose personal and prejudicial interests at meetings which
they attend, or when they are in
discussions with other Members and Officers where they have
such interests, as well as making the
requisite written declarations, which are also available
online as above.
For Town and Community Councils the
registers of interests and declarations are held by the
Clerk to the Council.
It is available for public inspection on-line
at
http://www.powys.gov.uk/index.php?id=7280&L=0
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