Agenda item

Joint report of the Town Clerk and the Director of HR.

A joint report of the Town Clerk and Director of HR explained that a report was presented to all affected Committees and Boards and the Policy and Resources Committee during late 2011 proposing, at the request of members, to introduce a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) re-checking process for relevant members (every 4 years from the date of first election to a relevant Committee/Board).  When the report was presented at the Court of Common Council in January 2012, officers were asked to consider the potential impact of the Protection of Freedoms Bill on the CRB checks process.  The Bill was enacted in April 2012 and the Home Office has now issued guidance on the changes, enabling us to report back with a revised proposal. 

This report has been approved by the Policy and Resources Committee, (October 2012) and it is now being presented to all affected committees for approval/comment before being resubmitted to the Court of Common Council.

The changes to the national disclosure regime brought about by the Protection of Freedoms Act, mean that checks and re-checks on members should now be carried out where they have relevant contact with children and vulnerable adults, and not simply by virtue of their membership of a previously relevant Board or Committee.

RESOLVED: -

(i)        That the Board notes the fact that legislation now requires a CRB check to be carried out on any Member whose work with children or adults (through the City of London Corporation) meet the relevant criteria.  Automatic checks for all members of previously relevant Committees and Boards would, therefore, cease.

(ii)       That an annual review and self-declaration process be introduced to ensure relevant Members who are eligible for checks are identified.

(iii)      That re-checking is introduced for members requiring this, but only at the point when the streamlined national process goes live.  Updating checks will then be made every 4 years from the point at which a check was first required and disclosure checks repeated only where required.