The Localism Act 2011 requires Oxford City Council to appoint one or more Independent Persons to assist the Monitoring Officer in dealing with complaints about councillors’ standards of behaviour and alleged breaches of the Members’ Code of Conduct. 

In addition, The Local Authorities Regulations 2015 require the Council to invite relevant Independent Persons to join the Investigation and Disciplinary Committee to consider evidence and provide advice on the course of action to follow whenever there is the prospect of dismissal of a statutory officer of the Council (these are the Chief Executive, Chief Finance Officer and Monitoring Officer).

Council will be asked to approve the appointment of up to four Independent Persons for a period of five years to July 2024.

Council considered a report of the Monitoring Officer asking Council to approve the appointment of the council’s independent persons.

Council noted that due to the availability of applicants and suitable interview dates, it had not been possible to complete all the interviews before this meeting. A recommendation as to suitable appointments could not be made until these were completed.

Consequently, new recommendations had been circulated to councillors in the briefing note.

As the Committee Chair was not present, Councillor Pressel, the Vice-Chair of the Standards Committee, presented and moved these new recommendations, which were agreed on being seconded and put to the vote.

Council resolved to extend the term of the current independent persons by a further month to 30 November 2019 to allow the recruitment process to conclude, and to consider the outcome and recommendations at its next meeting.