Funny in a 'not at all' sort of way

[steveL]

Sometimes things can be ironic but sometimes they are just plain funny.

Changes to the Code of Conduct are due to be discussed by HBC at this Thursday's full council meeting. What more can be said ......

Revisions to the Council's Code of Conduct
On 2nd August, 2012, the Borough Council adopted a revised Code of Conduct to comply with the Localism Act, 2011. Within Section 28(1) of the Act, it is indicated that a Code must be "consistent" with the seven "Nolan" Principles as established through the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

The Committee in its fourteenth report published in January, 2013, changes the 'descriptions' behind those principles. At its meeting on 23rd April, Standards Committee recommended these changes be incorporated within the Council's Code of Conduct. The revised descriptions (with a new preamble) are as follows.

Principle Revised description

Preamble
The principles of public life apply to anyone who works as a public office-holder. This includes all those who are elected or appointed to public office, nationally and locally and all people appointed to work in the civil service, local government, the police, courts and probation services, NDPBs, and in the health, education, social and care services. All public office-holders are both servants of the public and stewards of public resources. The principles also have application to all those in other sectors delivering public services.

Selflessness
Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

Integrity
Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

Objectivity
Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

Accountability
Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

Openness
Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

Honest
Holders of public office should be truthful.

Leadership
Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs.

As the Council moved through the process of change to its governance arrangements, dialogue took place with representatives from the Department for Communities and Local Government. Those representatives disclosed that the Coalition Government would like to see reference within local authority Codes of Conduct to the offence provision as outlined within Section 34 of the Localism Act.

It is therefore also recommended by the Standards Committee that the following addition be made to the Council's Code of Conduct;

OFFENCES
Under Section 34 of the Localism Act, 2011, a person commits an offence if, without reasonable excuse, that person fails to comply with an obligation imposed on them in respect of the disclosure of pecuniary interests on taking office and must disclose that interest (other than in the case of certain sensitive interests, to which a different procedure applies) or participate in any discussion or votes or takes any steps in contravention of the above.

The person will therefore commit an offence if they provide information that is false or misleading and the person knows that that information is false or misleading or is reckless as to whether the information is true and not misleading. A person guilty of an offence under this Section is liable on
summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 5 on the standard scale (currently £5,000) and a Court may order the disqualification of that person from being or becoming a Member or Co-opted Member of a relevant authority for a period not exceeding five years.'

[brassed off monkey]

Reading through that statement would make most people think that a number of councillors currently sitting in the council chamber fall foul on a number of the criterior set out in the above.

The difficulties arise when Hartlepool Council choose not to apply the guidlines, I am led to believe that because wilcox wasn`t acting in her capacity as a councillor there wasn`t a case to answer over the breaking of employment law by Manor Residents, were she is of course the Manager.

It does make you think that if an elected councillor was to commit blatant fraud whilst employed by a company, it would still be unlikely that any action would be taken against them under the Code of Conduct.

Selflessness
Holders of public office should act solely in terms of the public interest.

Integrity
Holders of public office must avoid placing themselves under any obligation to people or organisations that might try inappropriately to influence them in their work. They should not act or take decisions in order to gain financial or other material benefits for themselves, their family, or their friends. They must declare and resolve any interests and relationships.

Objectivity
Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.

Accountability
Holders of public office are accountable to the public for their decisions and actions and must submit themselves to the scrutiny necessary to ensure this.

Openness
Holders of public office should act and take decisions in an open and transparent manner. Information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.

Honest
Holders of public office should be truthful.


If those 6 points were Tattooed on the foreheads of some of our councillors they still wouldn`t understand what they mean & why they should abide by them.

[Stevef]

It presses all the buttons and describes perfectly the corrupt, shambolic mess that is HTH and local / national government in general. 

Bleeding cheek!    HTH is run by local volunteers, often at personal expense and has nothing but the best interests of the people of Hartlepool at hart

[norfolkngoode]

It presses all the buttons and describes perfectly the corrupt, shambolic mess that is HTH and local / national government in general. 

Bleeding cheek!    HTH is run by local volunteers, often at personal expense and has nothing but the best interests of the people of Hartlepool at hart

I think (hope) Kipper meant HBC NOT HTH

[steveL]

  I bet SAB's got that quoted on Twitter already!

[mk1]

Not yet, but he is piping up again.... see below

@gedknotted Looks like our stalkers who focus on the negatives are biting lol Yet strangely enough don't ask re Diamond story #denial

I wonder how long before he (a) shuts down his twitter feed or (b) starts acting like a 'professional' and focusses on improving the town rather than baiting Brash.

Poor Ged.
At school (St Francis) he was a  complete loner and known as a 'teachers pet'.
I do believe the only time he found any mates  was late in life  by becoming  a fanatical Pools supporter. Must have been a sight to see him bladdered and singing 'your a bas*tard referee'!
Time has not changed him and he is sucking up to the f**ty Belchers big time.
One time he was Brash's best mate now he says he is the Devil incarnate-a week truly is along time in politics!
Lets hope his judgement is better than when he signed off Angie's  accounts!

[steveL]

apparently not, sadly.

Word is that he took one look at the second year MR accounts and refused to sign them. Now normally, that would sound almost like good judgement - if it wasn't for the fact that he then went ahead and recommended Wilcox and Cranney's Who Cares (NE) to be given the £680,000 connected care contract anyway.

He was on Radio Hartlepool today after the radio station got a five-year extension to broadcast from OFCOM. Hall is a board member and probably does their accounts too, I would guess.

Needles to say, he forgot to mention his interest in Radio Hartlepool on his register of interests.

http://www.hartlepool.gov.uk/downloads/file/8962/councillor_gerard_hall

[DRiddle]

The timing of this as an agenda item concerns me greatly. For at least two reasons. Firstly, this smacks of the fallout and aftremath of the MP's expenses scandal. In that it looks like we might be seeing a 'hands up we didn't potentially fully play by the rules, but we'll change/tighten up the rules and we promise to play by them in future' type situation.

Will anyone who perhaps broke the 'old rules' be exempt from any previous potential indiscretion by promising to follow the 'new rules'?

Also, on a personal level, it's been well documented on this site that I meet with Councillor Hall and Deputy Chief Solicitor Carman this Friday concerning an alleged breach of the code of conduct by Councillor Hall. Will the fact that it looks like we're in the middle of a 'CHANGE' in the code of conduct be used to 'muddy the waters' of the potential outcome of my personal situation?

Why now? Literally hours before my personal situation and presumably days or weeks (at the most) from the findings of Barrister Mitchell?

[steveL]

It could be just coincidence, a timely reminder, or a cynical move preparing the ground for the standard announcement that 'changes have already been made to prevent this sort of thing ever happening again' in response to the inquiry.

I guess we'll get a feel for which on Thursday night but it's largely irrelevant.

I have six people pencilled in who are unlikely to be part of local politics in Hartlepool for much longer.

[fred c]

I understand where your coming from DR, but i don`t think that will fool anybody.... the Peer Group Review was last year, so they have had 12 months to try that one on & its to late now.

I know they send blokes to Home House, but as a matter of curiosity where do they send the women

[mk1]

I know they send blokes to Home House, but as a matter of curiosity where do they send the women

Low Newton
http://www.insidetime.org/info-regimes2.asp?nameofprison=HMP-YOI_LOW_NEWTON

but if  Angie goes down she will end up at Askham Grange near York

http://www.insidetime.org/info-regimes2.asp?nameofprison=HMP-YOI_ASKHAM_GRANGE