Agenda and draft minutes

1.       Mr Maxell Harrison proposed, and Ms Georgia Foster seconded, that Mr Brian Collins be elected as Chair of the Committee. There were no further nominations.

2.       RESOLVED that Mr Brian Collins be elected Chair of the Committee.

Apologies were received from Ms Linden Kemkaran with Mr Spencer Dixon acting as substitute and Mr Andrew Kennedy with Mr Harry Rayner acting as substitute.

1.       It was held that the minutes of the meeting which took place on the 27 February 2025 were an accurate record and that a paper copy be signed by the Chair. 

1.       The verbal update was provided by the General Counsel, Mr Ben Watts.  The following key points were highlighted:

a)       Attendance for new Member training had been high and for most briefing sessions, above 50%. 

b)       Group leaders would be notified of the Members who had not attended the preliminary training sessions, particularly around core areas such as the Kent County Council budget and governance arrangements. The benefits of attendance for these areas would be highlighted.

c)       Some Members had welcomed the opportunity for further development on introductory level items and training would be provided.

d)       A further programme of activity was being developed to allow Members to move into an intermediate stage of training and this would be circulated in due course.  Feedback from the Committee in relation to the delivery of training, development and induction was welcomed.

2.       In relation to Member comments and questions the following was said:

a)       Attendance at development sessions and comprehension were two different things: the possibility of implementing a self-check appraisal after a session to check understanding and to reflect could be explored. Suggestions of further sources for learning could be included.

b)       Members acknowledged the amount of work Mr Watts and his team had conducted in the preparation and delivery of Member Induction Development.  Mr Watts paid tribute to Mrs Kay Goldsmith who designed and led the project.

3.       RESOLVED Members noted the verbal update.

1.       The item was delivered by the General Council, Mr Ben Watts. The following key points were highlighted:

a)       The appointment of an independent person to the Standards Committee sought to increase capacity and ensured resilience by having an independent person available to consider code of conduct issues.

b)       Mr George will continue to be an independent person, however the paper sought the Committee’s permission to conduct a recruitment exercise for up to an additional two independent persons, to ensure the continued availability of the statutory post.

2.       RESOLVED that the Committee Members would delegate to the Monitoring Officer the authority, in consultation with the Leaders of the Political Groups, to carry out a recruitment exercise for up to two Independent Persons and make recommendations for appointment to County Council.

1.         The item was delivered by Democratic Services Officer, Ruth Emberley.

2.         The paper was taken as read and the following key points was highlighted

to Members:

a)       The Local Government and Housing Act 1989 political proportionality principles did not apply to Outside Body appointments, although the County Council’s convention in recent years had been that appointments were shared between the Political Groups on a proportional basis, insofar that it was possible.

b)       It was explained to Members that the Committee previously agreed an Outside Bodies Protocol (provided to Members in Appendix 2 of the report) that provided a framework around the activities of the Committee.  This framework was intended to be used as a reference document for individuals nominated and for nomination.

c)        The four Local Government Association groups included in Appendix 1 were politically proportional and therefore Members of these are nominated by the Political Groups.  The details of these appointments were being confirmed and an updated would be provided once the details have been made and confirmed with the relevant Groups.

d)       The Aylesham and District Community Workshop Trust had updated their Terms of Reference, which had been approved by the Trustees. The updates included the removal of the requirement for Kent County Council to appoint a Member. The change would be proposed at the forthcoming Annual General Meeting, scheduled for the 25 November 2025. Consequently, the Trust had been removed from the list.

e)       The Rochester Bridge Trust was currently reviewing their Constitution.  The Trust intended to remove one of the positions for Kent County Council. There were currently 2 posts nominated by KCC, one of which is currently vacant. The Trust intends to delete the post currently held by Ms Sarah Hohler at the end of her term on 31 May 2026 and therefore the Committee was asked to nominate a Member to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the second, vacant, post to 31 May 2027.  Thereafter an appointment to a 4-year term appointment would be requested from KCC.

f)        Efforts were underway to establish whether appointments were

 required for the Duke of York Military School. An update would be   

 provided to the Committee.

g)       Member interest had been expressed by some Members in relation

         to Gatwick Airport Consultative Committee and the Southern

         Regional Flood and Coastal Committee. These appointments were

         subject to the process set out in Section 3 of the Outside Bodies

         protocol.

h)      All nominated Members would be provided with a copy of the

         Outside Body Protocol.

3.       Mr Watts highlighted to the following key points to Members:

a)       It was important to recognise that the level of personal liability

          which occurred when someone was appointed as a Trustee also

required a level of indemnity, support and advice to be provided to any individual in that position.  Mr Watts confirmed that a wrap

around support service would be provided to any Member who took on that responsibility, to ensure that the liabilities and risks were fully understood.

b)       In many  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.