Agenda item

A verbal update by the Town Clerk relative to the appointment of Co-opted Members to fill existing and forthcoming vacancies on the Standards Committee.

The Town Clerk provided a verbal update for the Committee in respect of the recruitment and selection arrangements to fill existing and forthcoming Co-opted Member vacancies on the Standards Committee.  Members were advised that in light of Alan Graham’s term of office expiring at the end of March 2014, two vacancies were currently being advertised on the City of London Corporation’s webpages with a deadline of 24^th February 2014 for receipt of completed applications.  It was noted that following the advert going live on 20^th January 2013, three expressions of interest had been received and application packs circulated.  Members noted that interviews were currently expected to take place in mid-March 2014 involving the agreed Selection Panel which consisted of the Chief Commoner, the Chairman of the Policy & Resources Committee and the Chairman of the GP Committee of Aldermen (or their representatives).

 With reference to the current Selection Panel composition for the purposes of short-listing and interviewing applicants for Co-opted Member roles on the Standards Committee, the Chairman expressed some concern that the arrangement was now outdated, having been agreed by the Court of Common Council in 2000 when the new Standards Committee was established.  Members noted that the Police and the Audit and Risk Management Committees, both of which comprised of a number of Co-opted Members, had revised their selection panel arrangements in recent years to allow for the Chairman and Deputy Chairman of those Committees to participate in the selection activities.  The Committee agreed that this was a logical approach and there was consensus that a revision to the panel composition, for the purposes of selecting Co-opted Members of the Standards Committee, should be recommended to the Court of Common Council for approval.

RESOLVED:- That –

(i)        the Standards Committee be updated about recruitment and selection

           arrangements upon the deadline for receipt of completed applications on 24^th

           February 2014; and

(ii)       a recommendation, to include the Chairman and Deputy Chairman (or their    

           representatives) on the selection panel for the purposes of selecting Co-opted

           Members of the standards Committee, be submitted to the Court of Common Council

           for approval.