Standards Committee minutes

Noted · Received for information; no decision followed.

The Standards Committee met on 22 July 2026. p1

No apologies for absence were received and no declarations of interest were made. p2p3

Coral Harding, Monitoring Officer, presented the Standards Committee's Annual Report for 2025/26, covering a period when a predecessor held the Monitoring Officer role. p5

The report said four Code of Conduct complaints had been received, mainly about member conduct during council meetings and on social media, and that none needed a formal hearing. p5

The committee noted the Annual Report. p5

Show the 4 passages this is based on

• p1Standards Committee — minutes of the meeting on 22/07/2026
• p21. Apologies for absence No apologies for absence had been received.
• p32. Declarations of Interest There were no declarations of interest.
• p54. Annual Report 2025/26 Coral Harding, Monitoring Officer, presented the Standards Committee Annual Report for 2025–26 and advised that the report largely related to the period where the Monitoring Officer role was held by a predecessor. A review of the complaints and outcomes had confirmed that the report accurately reflected the standards activity undertaken during the year. Thanks were expressed to the Council’s Independent Persons for their support, advice and assistance during the transition period; and to those Deputy Monitoring Officers who had contributed to the administration of the standards framework, including the newly appointed Chief Legal Officer. The report noted that four Code of Conduct complaints had been received, mainly relating to conduct during council meetings and social media activity. None of the complaints required formal hearings, with matters having been resolved through informal advice, guidance, informal resolution measures, or closure with no further action. The Standards Committee had also reviewed and updated the Member Code of Conduct during the year, based on the Local Government Association model, for which training materials remained available to members, with further training to be provided as required. The report concluded that the Council’s standards framework had operated effectively, with complaints handled proportionately while continuing to promote high standards of conduct. In response to Councillor Bates’ request for clarification around those complaints relating to Members’ language during meetings, the Monitoring Officer advised that complaints about language had not related to hate speech or protected characteristics, but rather to concerns that debate had become personal rather than focused on the matters that were being discussed. RESOLVED (unanimously): That the Annual Report be noted.