Several recommendations have been made to improve the Isle of Wight Council following the damning report describing the local authority as ‘dysfunctional’.
Independent consultant Richard Penn’s 31-page paper said the local authority ‘urgently’ needs to show it ‘understands its failings’ and that things have to change ‘fundamentally’ and ‘quickly’ with proposed recommendations including the creation of a standards committee, as previously reported by Island Echo.
The document says the ‘stakes are high’ with the possibility of government intervention a reality.
It was revealed earlier this week that Whitehall’s Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government wrote to the council last month stating it would ‘closely monitor’ councillor behaviour and warning further action could be taken without ‘additional assurance’.
So what will happen next?
Mr Penn has called for the implementation of ‘robust’ checks and balances to address ‘inappropriate member behaviour’ immediately, instead of ‘tolerating it’.
“Inappropriate member behaviour either towards other councillors or towards council officers must be widely seen as unacceptable, and respect between members and officers must be reinstated.
“The operation of the whole standards process should be reviewed using best practice from other councils, with clear, documented procedures which are shared with officers and members.
Article continues below this advertisement “Training should be provided to all participants. The absence of a dedicated standards committee charged with dealing with ethical governance generally and standards of conduct complaints is no longer tenable.
“There must also be a complementary training programme for all council officers to ensure they are fully aware of what is required of them in their relationships with elected members in line with the clear requirements set out in the council’s constitution.”
Other advised steps include the council’s chair reading a script reminding councillors they must abide by the Code of Conduct at the start of meetings, a requirement for members and officers present to ‘call out’ inappropriate behaviour and extra support for elected representatives.
Mr Penn also recommended regular liaison between group leaders or their nominees and the council chair in advance of full council meetings which would allow ‘procedural and practical’ issues to be made clear beforehand.
In regard to council officers, he said they need to ‘accept and facilitate’ the ‘legitimate wish’ of councillors to have greater involvement in policy development.
County Hall and Alliance group leader Phil Jordan, along with the leaders of the Conservative and Liberal Democrat groups, have said they “accept the report” and will support its recommendations.
Well,if our communist government would have let the people have their democratic vote in may they probably wouldnt still be in office would they!
“Yawn “do you even know the meaning of the word Communist?way way back a documentary did an undercover job on the then beloved idjeets sat on Isle of Wight Council,it was the most corrupt in all.of UK,not much has changed just the names!.
Democracy is sadly coming to an end, just wait
until they mandate digital ID’s
that will be it! .
About time the whole lot were sacked and proper governance was instituted.
The place has been rancid for many years
All Government organisations are at it.
They keep saying there is a £40 billion black hole
yet they are paying thousands of civil servants
full pay to shirk from home.
They could reduce the black hole instantly
reduce the number of civil servants by 50%
and reduce sick pay / cap sick pay for all
public sector employees, it’s like one big
holiday camp that private sectors employees
are paying for.