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 the Monitoring Officer’s report published with the agenda and a supplementary report published after the agenda, asking Council to approve the appointment of the council’s independent persons for a term of five years to 30 November 2024 following a formal recruitment exercise.

Councillor Aziz, the Chair of the Standards Committee, presented the report. She moved the recommendations, and asked Council to appoint the individuals named below. This was agreed unanimously on being seconded and put to the vote.

Council resolved to:

1.    approve the appointment of Chris Ballinger, Andrew Mills-Hicks, Jill McCleery and Osama Raja as the council’s independent persons for a term of five years to 30 November 2024; and

2.    delegate authority to the Monitoring Officer to make the necessary arrangements.