Wirral Council councillors decide to recruit another Independent Person to help decide on complaints about councillors
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Standards and Constitutional Oversight Committee (Wirral Council) discussion on independent persons is at agenda item 4 (Appointment of Independent Members starting at 1m:14s and ending at 4m:43s) and agenda item 6 (Establishment of a Standards and Constitutional Oversight Working Group) starting at 21m:31s and ending at 31m:22s)
Wirral Council’s Standards and Constitutional Oversight Committee met yesterday evening.
Their second meeting that evening considered a report on the independent persons.
Although they had four to start with in 2012 (Professor Ronald S Jones, Mr Chris Jones, Mr David Burgess-Joyce and Mr Brian Cummings) they now have three as Mr David Burgess-Joyce was elected to Wirral Council in May 2015 and can’t be a councillor and independent person at the same time.
The other three independent persons’ appointments expire on the 16th July 2016.
As Wirral Council is legally required to have at least one independent person all three current independent persons (Professor R S Jones, Mr C Jones and Mr B Cummings) are being recommended by the Standards and Constitutional Oversight Committee to the Council meeting on Monday to be reappointed for another term of office.
This will form a supplementary agenda to the Council meeting on the 11th July 2016 (agenda item 8) once the minutes of last night’s Standards and Constitutional Oversight Committee meeting are written up.
The Standards and Constitutional Oversight Committee also agreed this additional recommendation (which will result in an extra independent person being recruited):
That the Committee agrees:
(e) That the Standards and Constitutional Oversight Working Group:
i. Have delegated authority to agree and oversee a new recruitment exercise for additional Independent Persons pursuant to section 28 of the Localism Act 2011;
ii. Have delegated authority to agree such arrangements (including all requisite documentation, advertisement(s) and procedures) and take all requisite steps considered necessary to ensure an effective and timely recruitment exercise, including the establishing of an Interview Panel.
iii. The scope, remit and authority of any Interview Panel established under (b) above shall be determined by the Working Group and the Interview Panel will have authority to make a recommendation to the Standards and Constitutional Oversight Committee with regards to the suitability of candidate(s) for the role of Independent Person for consideration and onward recommendation to Council for approval.
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