Annual Assembly of Standards Committees

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Annual Assembly of Standards Committees
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Managing investigations with confidence

• Nicole Jackson, Monitoring Officer, Leeds City
  Council
• Belinda Shaw, Principal Investigator, Standards
  for England
• Jon Wigmore, Ethical Standards Officer, Standards
• for England (chair)

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Session aims

• Share experiences
• Develop a checklist for good investigations
  management
• Look at investigations from 2 points of view
• the monitoring officer commissioning
  investigations
• the standards committee monitoring and
  determining

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Overview of process

• Allegation clarified if necessary
• Resources identified, investigation planning
• Evidence collected / interviews undertaken
• Review plan
• Report, determination, appeal

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Your priorities

• Two things you would like from this workshop from
  perspective of
• Officers
• Standards committee members

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Group exercise 1 (15 mins)

• 1. List the key factors to consider in deciding
  who will do the investigation
• Internal investigator (council officer)
• Outsourced investigator
• Reciprocal arrangement with another authority
• 2. How have investigations run into difficulties
  in your area (or experience) and how have you put
  things right?

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Leeds City Council experience

• Choice of investigator
• Pooling between authorities
• Timing
• Witness issues
• Investigation planning

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Group exercise 2 (10 mins)

• What are the key components of investigation
  planning?

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Investigation plan elements

• Analysis of allegations, identification of Code
  areas
• Evidence needed
• Resources needed
• Timescale for case stages
• All the above is regularly reviewed

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The APE

• Permission to appeal numbers increasing
• Procedural unfairness
• Inadequate reasoning
• Lessons for investigations management

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Checklist ingredients
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nicole.jackson_at_leeds.gov.ukjonathan.wigmore_at_stan
dardsforengland.gov.ukbelinda.shaw_at_standardsfore
ngland.gov.uk
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Annual Assembly of Standards Committees