Issue - meetings

Members should declare the existence and nature of any Disclosable Pecuniary Interest and Non Statutory Interest as defined by the Members’ Code of Conduct in respect of:

a)  any business on the agenda

b)  any matters arising out of those items

and if appropriate, withdraw from the meeting at the relevant time.

Members were reminded by the Monitoring Officer that any Councillor in arrears of Council Tax by more than two months must not vote in decisions on or which might affect budget calculations and must disclose at the meeting that this restriction applied to them. A failure to comply with these requirements was a criminal offence under Section 106 of the Local Government and Finance Act 1992.

The Monitoring Officer added that any Members who were tenants of a Council property should declare an interest for any budget setting item, but these Members had an automatic dispensation to remain in the room to speak and vote on the items in question.

The Monitoring Officer also reminded Members that votes on budget and Council Tax setting items would be done by recorded vote as required by the Local Authorities (Standing Orders) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2014.

The Monitoring Officer confirmed that members of Dragonfly Development Limited and Dragonfly Management (Bolsover) Limited had a dispensation to remain in the meeting, take part in the debate and vote on the Medium Term Financial Plan 2025/26 (CL69-24/25). This dispensation was agreed at Standards Committee on 27^th January 2025 and applied to Councillors Anne Clarke, Emma Stevenson, Janet Tait, Deborah Watson and Carol Wood. 

However, in response to Councillor Debroah Watson’s question the Monitoring Officer confirmed that they would be required to leave the chamber during discussion of CL71-24/25 to add Alder Close, Shirebrook to the Bolsover Homes Pipeline.