Investigation and Disciplinary Committee
Date: 20th August 2012
Time: 4.00pm
Committee Room 2
Investigation and Disciplinary Committee minutes (20th August 2012) (approved 21st September 2012)
Investigation and Disciplinary Committee (20/8/2012) Agenda
Present
Councillors (7/7)
Cllr Dave Mitchell Liberal Democrat
Cllr Adrian Jones Labour
Cllr Lesley Rennie Conservative
Cllr Mike Hornby Conservative
Cllr Ann McLachlan Labour
Cllr Brian Kenny Labour
Cllr Anne McArdle Labour
Wirral Council Officers
Shirley Hudspeth (Committee Services Officer)
Chris Hyams, Human Resources (Head)
Tony Williams, Human Resources (Acting Employee Relations Manager)
Surjit Tour, Acting Head of Law, Human Resources and Asset Management
David Armstrong
Unknown female
Unknown male
Also
Items 1-3 Two members of the press/public
The agenda for this meeting can be found here.
Agenda Item 1 – Appointment of Chair
Cllr Brian Kenny and Cllr Adrian Jones proposed Cllr Ann McLachlan as Chair.
There were no other nominations so Cllr McLachlan was made Chair.
Cllr Dave Mitchell proposed Cllr Adrian Jones as Vice-Chair, however it wasn’t seconded. There was a second valid nomination as Vice-Chair so Cllr Brian Kenny was made Vice-Chair.
Agenda Item 2 – Members’ Code of Conduct – Declarations of Interest
Councillors present made no declarations of interest.
Agenda Item 3 – Exempt Information – Exclusion of the Press and Public
The Chair suggested that the public and press were excluded from the rest of the meeting for agenda item 4 (Update in Relation to the Suspension of Council Officers) (reason given – Information relating to any individual and agenda item 5 (Any Other Urgent Business Approved by the Chair) (although there was no AOB).
Agenda Item 4 – Update in Relation to the Suspension of Council Officers
The Investigation and Disciplinary Committee received an update in a 16-page preliminary investigation report about the matters that led to the suspensions of Bill Norman, Ian Coleman and David Taylor-Smith (but also relate in part to the earlier suspension of David Green).
It related in part to:-
1) This public interest report published by the Audit Commission on 8th June 2012 entitled Highways and engineering services contract award and management.
2) The Council’s policies on senior officers declaring interests and whether these had been followed.
3) Various other matters relating to the above four suspended individuals.
The following resolution was then agreed,
“(1) the progress being made in respect of the preliminary investigation be noted; and
(2) the way forward in relation to the three Statutory Officers, as outlined in paragraph 5.6 of the report, be agreed.”
Agenda Item 5 Any Other Business
It has been confirmed by Wirral Council that there were no items of Any Other Business agreed by the Chair tabled at the meeting.
Left (L to R): Unknown officer (male), Shirley Hudspeth (officer)
Right (Left to Right)
Cllr Dave Mitchell (Lab)
Cllr Adrian Jones (Lab)
Cllr Brian Kenny (Lab)
Cllr Ann McLachlan (Lab)
Cllr Mike Hornby (Con)
Left: Shirley Hudspeth
Right Foreground
L to R Cllr Mike Hornby (Con), Cllr Lesley Rennie (Con)
Right Background
Cllr Dave Mitchell (Lib Dem), Cllr Adrian Jones (Labour)
Background: Shirley Hudspeth
Foreground: Left to Right
Tony Williams (Officer), HR
Unknown Officer? (female)
Chris Hyams (Officer), HR
Unknown Officer? (male)
As regular readers of this blog will know the previous permanent Chief Executive of Wirral Council