A NUMBER of recommendations have been made to Cotswold District Council to avoid a repeat of the circumstances which led to least week’s Standards Committee hearing.

Last week’s four-day hearing into complaints made about Councillor Esmond Jenkins’ behaviour found that he had breached the council’s code of conduct through a number of his actions.

Following its decision, the four-person committee chaired by former Metropolitan Police commissioner Martin Jauch made four recommendations to CDC.

It was recommended that the council clarify the roles and responsibilities of councillors and officers within the council, and ensure that any breaches of the code of conduct can be identified and dealt with early.

As part of this, the committee also recommended that training should be arranged for both councillors and officers in the council’s protocol.

It was also recommended that it is ensured that all newly-elected councillors and newly-appointed members receive all necessary training, and that planning issues which are likely to have a degree of local importance are identified and discussed informally within the planning department before coming before the council.

The committee also recommended that any decisions taken under section 33 of the Localism Act, which allows councillors to apply to be able to participate in decisions which they have declared an interest in, should include consultation with the councillor in question.

Finally, the committee recommended that any outstanding actions from the council’s ‘action plan’ approved in July last year are dealt with as soon as possible.

The full report and recommendations can be viewed at the link below.