Agenda and draft minutes

RESOLVED: Councillor Osborne was appointed Vice - Chair for the meeting.

To receive any apologies of absence.

Apologies of absence were received from Councillor S Ring and B Ayres.

To approve the minutes of the previous meeting held on the 16^th July 2025.

RESOLVED: The minutes from the meeting held on the 16^th July 2025 were agreed as a correct record.

There was none.

To consider any business which, by reason of special circumstances the Chair proposed to accept as urgent under Section 100(b)(4)(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

There was no urgent business.

Members wishing to speak pursuant to Standing Order 34 should inform the Chair of their intention to do so and on what items they wish to be heard before a decision on that item is taken.

Councillor A Ware was present on Zoom, Under Standing Order 34.

There was none.

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The Monitoring Officer presented the report.

The Chair invited questions and comments from the Committee.

Under Standing Order 34, Councillor Ware thanked the Monitoring Officer for the clear explanation.

Councillor Ratcliffe echoed the thanks to the Monitoring Officer for the helpful explanation. She commented the general dispensation in the context of local government reorganisation was reasonable. She referred to 3.3 of the report which highlighted the requirements to comply with legal obligation of biased and predetermination and commented she hoped the Monitoring Officer would refer to this in the advice given to Twin Hatters.

Councillor Bearshaw commented Local Government Reorganisation was being done and wasn’t a choice made and therefore Borough Council and County Council would then not exist, and the dispensation provided a safer position.

The Vice-Chair, Councillor Osborne referred to 1.8 of the report which highlighted 10 out of 55 Members were Twin Hatters and 2.2 was in the best interest of the public for Members with County experience participate in the debate.

RESOLVED: The Standards Committee agree the following:

1.    To grant a general dispensation to Borough Council Members that are also Members of Norfolk County Council (‘Twin-Hatters’) from both the requirements of section 31 (4) of the Localism Act 2011, and also the requirements within the Councillor’s Code of Conduct in relation to managing interests, on decisions relating to Local Government Reorganisation (LGR), including approval of the final submission to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

2.    The duration of this general dispensation shall have effect for a maximum of four years or until the vesting of a new unitary authority, whichever is sooner.

To be scheduled.

The next meeting was to be scheduled when required.