Issue - meetings

A report from the Council’s Monitoring Officer is attached.

Following agreement with the Chair, the Head of Democratic Services presented a report to Members present in relation to the failure of a Member to attend a meeting for 6 months.

The Head of Democratic Services reported that:

Councillor Mason has not attended any council meeting since the 12th October 2024. There hasn’t been any reasons given for his lack of attendance at meetings despite numerous contact being sent by the Democratic Services team.

There was a Council meeting on the 20th March 2024. Were Cllr Mason to have attended this meeting, there would not have been any failure to attend a council meeting throughout a period of six consecutive months within the meaning of s 85(1) of the Local Government Act 1972 (“LGA 1972”).

Section.85 of the Local Government Act 1972 states that when a Council Member fails to attend any meeting for six consecutive months from the date of their last attendance, they cease to be a member of the authority, unless the Council accepts a reason for the failure to attend before the six months period expires.

Councillor Mason has not applied to Council for a dispensation prior to the expiry of the six month period.

If a Member once loses their office through failure to attend for the six months period, the disqualification cannot be overcome by the Member subsequently resuming attendance.

Councillor Mason is not currently a member of any committee, sub-committee, joint committee, joint board or other body (within the meaning of s 85(2) of the LGA 1972).

It follows from that as things stand Cllr Mason will fall foul of s 85(1) of the LGA 1972 on the 12th April 2024.  

It was agreed that:

The Standards Committee notes that as of the 12th April 2024, 6 months will have passed since Councillor Mason last attended a meeting of the authority, at the time of writing, no request has been made for an extension of the 6 month rule, prior to the end of the six month period.