Declaration of Interests in Meeting - Guidance Note

Member's Guidance Note - Declaring Interests in Meetings

Personal Interests

Say and Stay

If the matter being considered relates to, or is likely to affect, an interest which is in your Register of Interests or, if the issue being discussed affects you more, either positively or negatively, than other people in the Ward to which it relates you must say you have a personal interest but you can stay and take part and vote in the meeting.

This applies if the personal interest affects either:

• You
• Your partner, relative or a close associate
• Your employer or the employer of your partner, relative or close associate
• Any corporate body in which you, your partner, relative or close associate hold shares with a nominal value of more than £25,000 or of which you or they are a Director
• Any firm in which you, your relative or close associate are partners

You should make the declaration of interest at the beginning of the meeting, or as soon as you are aware that you have an interest in the matter being discussed.

If the matter being discussed concerns or affects one of the following organisations in which you, your relatives or close associates hold a position of control or management, that is:

• A body where you or they are a representative or nominee of the Council
• A body exercising functions of a public nature

You need only declare your interest if and when you speak on the matter.

A relative should be given a very wide meaning. It includes a partner, (someone you are married to, your civil partner or someone you live with in a similar capacity), a parent, a parent in law, a son or daughter, a stepson or stepdaughter, the child of a partner, a brother or sister, a brother or sister of your partner, a grandparent, a grandchild, an uncle or aunt, a nephew or niece or the partners of any of these people.

Prejudicial Interest

Withdrawing from Meetings

If a member of the public, who knows all the relevant facts, would view your personal interest in the matter being discussed to be so significant that it is likely to prejudice your judgment of the public interest, and

• The matter affects your financial interests or relates to a licensing or regulatory matter (an approval, consent, refusal, licence permission or registration) and
• The matter is not within one of the exempt categories

Then you must declare the interest and you should leave the meeting, unless members of the public are allowed to make representations, give evidence, or answer questions about the matter, in which case you may attend the meeting for that purpose only as long as you immediately leave the meeting once you have made your representations.

How do you rate this information/service?