Local Government Act 2000

Reports etc.

71 Reports etc

(1) Where a Local Commissioner in Wales determines in relation to any case that a finding under section 69(4)(a) or (b) is appropriate—

(a) he may produce a report on the outcome of his investigation,

(b) he may provide a summary of any such report to any newspapers circulating in the area of the relevant authority concerned,

(c) he must send to the monitoring officer of the relevant authority concerned a copy of any such report, and

(d) where he does not produce any such report, he must inform the monitoring officer of the relevant authority concerned of the outcome of the investigation.

(2) Where a Local Commissioner in Wales determines in relation to any case that a finding under section 69(4)(c) is appropriate he must—

(a) produce a report on the outcome of his investigation,

(b) subject to subsection (4)(b), refer the matters which are the subject of the investigation to the monitoring officer of the relevant authority concerned, and

(c) send a copy of the report to the monitoring officer, and the standards committee, of the relevant authority concerned.

(3) Where a Local Commissioner in Wales determines in relation to any case that a finding under section 69(4)(d) is appropriate he must—

(a) produce a report on the outcome of his investigation,

(b) refer the matters which are the subject of the investigation to the president of the Adjudication Panel for Wales for adjudication by a tribunal falling within section 76(1), and

(c) send a copy of the report to the monitoring officer of the relevant authority concerned and to the president of the Adjudication Panel for Wales.

(4) Where a person is no longer a member or co-opted member of the relevant authority concerned but is a member or co-opted member of another relevant authority in Wales—

(a) the references in subsections (1)(b), (c) and (d), (2)(c) and (3)(c) to the relevant authority concerned are to be treated as including references to that other relevant authority, and

(b) a Local Commissioner in Wales who reaches a finding under section 69(4)(c) must refer the matters concerned either to the monitoring officer of the relevant authority concerned or to the monitoring officer of that other relevant authority.

(5) A report under this section may cover more than one investigation under section 69 in relation to any members or co-opted members (or former members or co-opted members) of the same relevant authority.

(6) A Local Commissioner in Wales must—

(a) inform any person who is the subject of an investigation under section 69, and

(b) take reasonable steps to inform any person who made any allegation which gave rise to the investigation,

of the outcome of the investigation.

72 Interim reports

(1) Where he considers it necessary in the public interest, a Local Commissioner in Wales may, before the completion of an investigation under section 69, produce an interim report on that investigation.

(2) An interim report under this section may cover more than one investigation under section 69 in relation to any members or co-opted members (or former members or co-opted members) of the same relevant authority.

(3) Where the prima facie evidence is such that it appears to a Local Commissioner in Wales—

(a) that the person who is the subject of the interim report has failed to comply with the code of conduct of the relevant authority concerned,

(b) that the nature of that failure is such as to be likely to lead to disqualification under section 79(4)(b), and

(c) that it is in the public interest to suspend or partially suspend that person immediately,

the interim report may include a recommendation that that person should be suspended or partially suspended from being a member or co-opted member of the relevant authority concerned for a period which does not exceed six months or (if shorter) the remainder of the person’s term of office.

(4) Where a Local Commissioner in Wales produces an interim report under this section which contains such a recommendation as is mentioned in subsection (3), he must refer the matters which are the subject of the report to the president of the Adjudication Panel for Wales for adjudication by a tribunal falling within section 76(2).

(5) A copy of any report under this section must be given—

(a) to any person who is the subject of the report,

(b) to the monitoring officer of the relevant authority concerned, and

(c) to the president of the Adjudication Panel for Wales.

(6) Where a person is no longer a member or co-opted member of the relevant authority concerned but is a member or co-opted member of another relevant authority in Wales—

(a) the second reference in subsection (3) to the relevant authority concerned is to be treated as a reference to that other relevant authority, and

(b) the reference in subsection (5)(b) to the relevant authority concerned is to be treated as including a reference to that other relevant authority.