Issue - meetings

Revised Complaints Arrangements

Meeting: 13/09/2022 - Standards Committee (Item 6.)

6. Revised Complaints Arrangements pdf icon PDF 111 KB

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Meeting: 01/09/2022 - Constitutional Review Working Party (Item 5)

5 Revised Complaints Arrangements pdf icon PDF 131 KB

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Mr Hughes explained that the Kent Secretaries group had also reviewed the  complaints handling procedures at the same time as the code of conduct and the proposed changes were outlined before members.

 

Mr Hughes explained that many of the proposed changes were to the timescales. The principle was to extend the time limits due to the complaints procedure being time consuming and some of the original time scales simply not being achievable.

 

He pointed out that there was nothing that could be done if members refused to accept  their sanction. However under the changes that refusal to accept the sanction would be a new breach of the code.

 

Councillor Austin raised that the notification of the appointment of an investigator to complainants was currently 10 working days but had changed to 20 working days. The committee agreed that this was not very desirable and suggested amending the paragraph to define the wording more as “normally 10 working days and 20 days maximum”.

 

It was proposed by Councillor Austin, seconded by Councillor Hart and agreed that the recommendation in the report be approved, namely:

 

“To recommend the changes to the Complaints Handling Arrangements as outlined in the report with the following amendments:

 

The Investigating Officer will notify the Subject Member and the Complainant of their appointment, normally within 10 working days of being appointed, but within a maximum of 20 working days.

That membership of hearing sub-committees continues to include an independent member as the chair of the hearing panel.”