The Independent Person(s) will be consulted when we receive a complaint that a Councillor has breached the member Code of Conduct; on decisions to investigate complaints; and before a decision is made on an investigated complaint. The Independent Person(s) may also be consulted on other standards matters, including by the member who is subject to an allegation. You would play a key role in ensuring public and councillor confidence in the Council’s arrangements for dealing with complaints.

The Independent Person(s) is consulted on complaints on a case-by-case basis by the Monitoring Officer and may also be asked to advise individual members who may be the subject of a complaint.

The Independent Persons will also be involved in the event of disciplinary action against any of the Council’s statutory officers (Head of Paid Service, Chief Finance Officer and Monitoring Officer). In these circumstances a panel of at least two Independent Persons will be appointed for the purpose of advising the Council on matters relating to the dismissal of these officers.