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Agenda, decisions and minutes

Venue: Committee Room 4, Town Hall. PLEASE NOTE: This meeting is reconvened from 9 January 2023 and is now in exempt session. The press and public are therefore not able to attend.

Contact: Philippa Green  Tel: 0207 527 3184 / E: Email: Philippa.green@islington.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

6.

Confidential Complaint Hearing, reconvened from 9 January 2023

7.

Decision Notice

Decision:

Notice of Determination of Standards Committee Hearing

Decision

On 18 January 2023, the Standards Committee found, on a balance of probabilities, that an Islington Councillor improperly communicated confidential information, and brought the council into disrepute, contrary to paragraphs 4 and 5 of the council’s Code of Conduct for Members, and in breach of the Nolan Principles of Integrity, Accountability and Leadership.

 

Reasons

The Standards Committee met on 9 and 18 January 2023 to consider the reports of the Investigating Officer, the Independent Person, evidence from witnesses and from the Investigating Officer, Independent Person, and representations from the Subject Councillor (and legal representative) and found that the Subject Councillor had breached the Islington Council Code of Conduct for Members as follows:

a)    Paragraph 4 - Confidentiality: The Committee found that, on a balance of probabilities, the Subject Councillor had improperly communicated confidential information.

 

b)    Paragraph 5 - Disrepute: Having considered the context of the confidentiality of the information, the setting in which the Subject Councillor disclosed the information, and the Code’s direction that members are subject to greater scrutiny than ordinary members of the public, the Committee found that the Subject Councillor brought the council and the role of councillors into disrepute.

 

c)     Nolan Principles:

i.                Integrity: On a balance of probabilities, the Subject Councillor breached the Nolan Principle of Integrity. The Subject Councillor placed themselves in a situation where their integrity could have been questioned by others in attendance at the time.

 

ii.               Accountability: On a balance of probabilities, in disclosing the confidential information, the Subject Councillor breached the Nolan Principle of Accountability by demonstrating an absence of accountability for the manner in which they carried out their responsibility not to share such information.

 

iii.             Leadership: On a balance of probabilities, in disclosing the confidential information, the Subject Councillor breached the Nolan Principle of Leadership by failing to act in a way that secures or preserves public confidence.

Sanction:

The Standards Committee will send a formal letter to the Subject Councillor setting out its findings.

 

Councillor Anjna Khurana
24 January 2023