PETER Marriott has received a censure and has been suspended from his duties as a town councillor for one month. The sanctions were handed down at a hearing of the Waverley Standards Committee following an investigation into alleged breaches of Farnham Town Council's code of conduct. The complaints were initially made to the Standards Board for England, which referred them to Waverley's monitoring officer for investigation and determination by the local Standards Committee. The two complaints against Mr Marriott related to his failure to declare personal and prejudicial interests in the matter of a planning application relating to a property close to where he lives and also a grant application submitted by Farnham Voluntary Services Council. Anne Bott, Waverley's monitoring officer, said: "Following a thorough investigation into the complaints, the hearing panel of the Standards Committee found that Peter Marriott did have personal and prejudicial interests in both matters and therefore should not have participated in the decision making process." It was noted at the hearing that Mr Marriott has recently attended training on the code of conduct. The suspension was imposed with immediate effect from 9 May 9. • Mr Marriott's case was the first to be heard by the local Standards committee for Waverley, as a result of the local investigation by Waverley officers. Formed several years ago the committee has held two previous hearings, but those were in relation to the Standards Board for England. Made up of six Waverley councillors, committee members include two nominated town councillors and two independent members, one of whom is the chairman. The purpose of the committee, said a spokesman for Waverley Borough Council, is "to promote ethical standards and ensure high standards of contact by borough, town and parish councils.
