Role of the standards committee
The standards committee is a committee of North Devon Council and is a ‘statutory’ committee. This means that the council has to appoint a standards committee and that its functions are set out in legislation.
The legislation also sets out the composition of standards committees, and has determined that all standards committees must have at least one independent member, and at least a parish councillor as a representative of all the parish councils in the district.
The independent member is a person who is not a councillor and is appointed to the committee. A person can become an independent member of the committee by applying to the council to do so when a vacancy occurs.
Similarly the parish councillor representative is appointed to the committee following a selection process from those parish councillors who put their names forward to serve on the committee.
Our committee comprises 4 district councillors, 5 independent members. and 4 parish council representatives. The committee must be chaired by an independent member, and the chair of our committee is Mrs Jenny Arnold.
The role and function of the committee is set out in the council’s constitution. In short its role is:
The standards committee is a committee of North Devon Council and is a ‘statutory’ committee. This means that the council has to appoint a standards committee and that its functions are set out in legislation.
The legislation also sets out the composition of standards committees, and has determined that all standards committees must have at least one independent member, and at least a parish councillor as a representative of all the parish councils in the district.
The independent member is a person who is not a councillor and is appointed to the committee. A person can become an independent member of the committee by applying to the council to do so when a vacancy occurs.
Similarly the parish councillor representative is appointed to the committee following a selection process from those parish councillors who put their names forward to serve on the committee.
Our committee comprises 4 district councillors, 5 independent members. and 4 parish council representatives. The committee must be chaired by an independent member, and the chair of our committee is Mrs Jenny Arnold.
The role and function of the committee is set out in the council’s constitution. In short its role is:
- to promote and maintain high standards of conduct by councillors and co-opted members
- advise, train or arrange training for councillors and co-opted members on matters relating to their code
- receiving allegations and deciding whether any action needs to be taken
- report periodically to the Standards Board for England
These are statutory duties; in addition the committee has some additional duties which mostly relate to how the council works – such as amendments to the constitution, by-laws and electoral issues’.
For some of its work the committee will work through appointed sub-committees which have delegated decision-making responsibilities.
For some of its work the committee will work through appointed sub-committees which have delegated decision-making responsibilities.
