The
Committee considered the report of the Interim Deputy Head of Legal
Partnership recommending that the term of office of Mrs Barbara
Varney, the current Independent Person, be extended for a period of
three years until 31 July 2020. It was
noted that:
·
The Localism Act 2011 places a statutory duty on the
Council to appoint an Independent Person who must be consulted
before any decision is taken on an investigated complaint of
misconduct by a Borough or Parish Councillor. The Independent Person may be consulted on other
issues and by a Member who is the subject of a
complaint.
·
On 24 July 2013 Mrs Barbara Varney, the current
Independent Person, was appointed by the Council following her
successful application and interview
by a panel of Members for the position.
·
During the past four years Mrs Varney had been
consulted on a number of Code of Conduct complaints and had
continued to carry out the role to a high standard, consistently
giving excellent support and advice.
·
The current term of office would expire on 31 July
2017, and the Council was required to appoint an Independent Person
to meet its statutory obligation.
·
The Monitoring Officer and the current Independent
Person had been consulted, and both were in agreement to the
extension.
RESOLVED to RECOMMEND to the
COUNCIL: That the
term of office of Mrs Barbara Varney, the current Independent
Person, be extended for a period of
three years until 31 July 2020.