Appointment of Independent Members to the Authority's Standards Committee

The Authority's Standards Committee is made up of three Authority Members and four independent Members. Under the relevant Regulations, Authority Members' term of office shall be no more than 4 years, although such members can be reappointed for one further consecutive term. For independent members the Regulations provide that appointments shall be not less than 4 years nor more than 6 years. Independent members cannot serve more than one term of office.

Both independent and Authority members were initially appointed for a 4 year term up to the 9th December 2005. Authority members are appointed at the Annual General Meeting with Councillors Glyn Seabourne and Paul James appointed to serve their first term up to 7th July 2008.and Councillor Jim Davies having been appointed for a second term to 9th December 2009.

Earlier this year Members and Officers of the Authority attended an all Wales Standards Committee Conference at Aberystwyth. One of the issues raised at the Conference, and currently being examined by the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG), is the difficulty Authorities have in attracting individuals to apply as independent members and losing the expertise gained by such individuals within a relatively short time frame. It is hoped that revised Regulations will be issued by the WAG, which would enable independent members to be appointed for a further consecutive term. A recent Consultation document from WAG proposes that such an amendment be made to the existing Regulations. It is unlikely however that such regulations, if enacted, would be made before the end of the current year.

In the interim therefore, pending the possible enactment of revised Regulations governing Standards Committee membership, it is considered prudent for the Authority, under the current regulations, to extend the current term of office of the four independent members from 4 years to 6 years i.e. to the 9th December 2007. Thereafter, irrespective of whether amending regulations regarding membership will have been issued, future appointments of independent members should be on a staggered basis to maintain a degree of continuity and expertise.