Councillor Suspended After Adjudication Panel Hearing

Michael Baker, who has been suspended
from his role as district councillor for 12 months

Michael Baker, North Norfolk District Councillor for Holt, has been suspended from his role as councillor for a year after failing to withdraw from a planning meeting when he had a personal interest in a planning application being discussed there, and for speaking in favour of that application.

At a hearing on Monday, 9 January, 2006, a tribunal of the independent Adjudication Panel for England upheld the findings of an investigation by the Standards Board for England, which concluded that Mr Baker had failed to comply with paragraphs 4, 9.1, and 12.1 of the Council's Code of Conduct.

As such, Mr Baker was found to have brought the Council into disrepute, to have failed to declare a personal interest in the application, and to have failed to withdraw from the chamber when the application was discussed. In its Notice of Decision, the tribunal said: "Councillor Baker should have not only declared the interest in the matter, but also withdrawn from the room where the meeting was being held and not sought to influence the decision."

Mr Baker was suspended from acting as a councillor for a period of 12 months from the date of the hearing. He has a right to appeal against the decision.

The tribunal heard that on 3 February, 2005, Mr Baker attended a meeting of the Development Control Committee (West), of which he was not a member. The Council's Development Control Committees do make provision for members of the public to speak in favour of their planning applications.

At the meeting Mr Baker spoke in favour of an application by CT Baker Ltd, a company of which he is managing director and shareholder. The tribunal found that in so doing, and being a District Councillor, Mr Baker had breached the Council's Code of Conduct, which was adopted in April 2002.

Arrangements will now be made, in agreement with the Council's political groups, for ensuring Mr Baker's Holt Ward constituents have representation on the Council for the period of his suspension.

For more information, see North Norfolk District Council's Member Code of Conduct at www.northnorfolk.org/downloadfiles/Constitution-5.pdf and the website of the Adjudication Panel for England: www.adjudicationpanel.co.uk

ENDS