(Members Code of Conduct - Part 4A of the Constitution)

To receive disclosures of interests from members and co-opted members on matters to be considered at the meeting. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.

An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

Notes:

(1)       In relation to Agenda Item 7A to approve the following recommendations contained in the report of the Monitoring Officer (Document “D”) to grant a dispensation to all Members who have certain Disclosable Pecuniary Interests listed in Appendix A to the report, as defined in the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012, in the decision to approve the budget and to set the level of Council Tax and Business Rates for 2021/22 and 2022/23 during the Budget Council meetings on 18 February 2021 and 17 February 2022.

That Council:

(1)       Grants a dispensation to the Members of the Authority who have requested one, to enable them to participate in full in the decision to approve the budgets for 2021/22 and 2022/23 and to set the Council Tax and Business Rates for 2021/22 and 2022/23.

(2)       Approves the dispensation for a period of two years until 18 February 2022.

(3)       Notes Members’ personal interests and the Monitoring Officer’s advice that personal interests that may give rise to a perception of a conflict of interest shall not prevent Members from speaking and voting at the Budget meetings.

(2)       Members may remain in the meeting and take part fully in discussion and voting unless the interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or an interest which the Member feels would call into question their compliance with the wider principles set out in the Code of Conduct.  Disclosable pecuniary interests relate to the Member concerned or their spouse/partner.

(3)       Members in arrears of Council Tax by more than two months must not vote in decisions on, or which might affect, budget calculations, and must disclose at the meeting that this restriction applies to them.  A failure to comply with these requirements is a criminal offence under section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. 

(4)       Members are also welcome to disclose interests which are not disclosable pecuniary interests but which they consider should be made in the interest of clarity.

(5)       Officers must disclose interests in accordance with Council Standing Order 44.

The report of the Monitoring Officer (Document “D”) considered the granting of dispensations to all Members who had certain Disclosable Pecuniary Interests as defined in the Relevant Authorities (Disclosable Pecuniary Interests) Regulations 2012 for approving the budget and setting the Council Tax and Business Rates. Members had also disclosed interests which were not disclosable pecuniary interests but which they considered should be made in the interests of clarity.

The lists attached as appendices A and B to the report had been updated with further notifications by Members on their declarations. It was,

Resolved –

That Council:

(1)       Grants a dispensation to the Members of the Authority who have requested one, to enable them to participate in full in the decision to approve the budgets for 2021/22 and 2022/23 and to set the Council Tax and Business Rates for 2021/22 and 2022/23.

(2)       Approves the dispensation for a period of two years until 18 February 2022.

(3)      Notes the personal interests and the Monitoring Officer’s advice that personal interests that may give rise to a perception of a conflict of interest shall not prevent Members from speaking and voting at this Budget meeting.

Dispensations under the Localism Act 2011 for the declaration of Members’ Disclosable Pecuniary Interests were given to the following Members to enable them to speak and vote on the Budget 2021/22:

Employment – Councillors Amran, Berry, Brown, K Green, Hinchcliffe, T Hussain, I Khan, Lal, Salam, Shaheen, Tait, Thornton and Wood.

Sponsorship - Councillors Azam, Davies, Dodds, Duffy, Engel, Farley, Godwin, D Green, K Green, Griffiths, Hargreaves, Heseltine, Hinchcliffe, Humphreys, T Hussain, Iqbal, Jabar, Jenkins, I Khan, Love, Mullaney, Pennington, Poulsen, Reid, Ross-Shaw, Slater, D Smith, Stubbs, J Sunderland, R Sunderland, Swallow, Tait, Thirkill, Thornton, Wainwright, Whitaker and Winnard.

Contracts – Councillors Naylor, Salam, Shafiq and D Smith.

Land – A Ahmed, Ali, Amran, Azam, Barker, Berry, Bibby, Brown, Cromie, Davies, Dodds, Duffy, Dunbar, Engel, Farley, Ferriby, Firth, Godwin, Goodall, D Green, K Green, Greenwood, Griffiths, Hargreaves, Hawkesworth, Herd, Heseltine, Hinchcliffe, Humphreys, Arshad Hussain, Kamran Hussain, Khadim Hussain, Shabir Hussain, T Hussain, Iqbal, Jabar, Jamil, Jenkins, Johnson, H Khan, I Khan, S Khan, Knox, Lal, Lee, Lintern, Love, Mir, Mohammed, Mukhtar, Mullaney, Naylor, Nazir, Pennington, Pollard, Poulsen, Reid, Riaz, Ross-Shaw, Salam, Shabbir, Shafiq, Shaheen, Slater, Smith, Stubbs, J Sunderland, R Sunderland, Swallow, Tait, Thirkill, Thornton, Townend, Wainwright, Warburton, Ward, Warnes, Watson, Whitaker, Whiteley, Winnard and Wood.

Licences - Smith and J Sunderland.

Corporate Tenancies – Cromie

Securities – Smith

The following personal declarations were received:

Members with a spouse, partner or close relative in the employment of the Council

Councillors A Ahmed, Amran, Brown, Dodds, Firth, D Green, Hawkesworth, Kamran Hussain, T Hussain, Iqbal, Jabar, Jenkins, I Khan, Lal, Love, Nazir, Pennington, Pollard, Riaz, Salam, Shabbir, Shafiq, Slater, Stubbs,

R Sunderland, Swallow, Tait, Thornton and Townend

Members employed by or who have a spouse, partner or close relative employed by a voluntary organisation/public body funded by the Council

Councillors Brown, Duffy, Jenkins, I Khan,Lal, Mullaney,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32