Full Council	14 July 2022
Report of the Monitoring Officer

Appointment of Independent Member to the Audit & Governance Committee and Appointment of Independent Persons to the Joint Standards Committee

Summary

Full Council is invited to confirm the appointment of Mr Joe Leigh as an Independent Member to the Audit & Governance Committee and to confirm the appointment of Mr Richard Gadd and Mr Joe Leigh as Independent Persons to the Joint Standards Committee.

Background

At the request of the Audit & Governance Committee and the Joint Standards Committee a recruitment exercise was undertaken to appoint Independent Members to the Audit & Governance Committee and Independent Persons to the Joint Standards Committee.  The proposed appointments have been undertaken in accordance with the Council’s HR recruitment processes. 

Role of an Independent Member

An Independent Member (non-voting) will support the Committee as it seeks to promote the embedding of good governance across the Council.  The Independent Member will be appointed initially for one year but this will remain under review as it is anticipated that the outcomes of the Government’s response to The Independent Review into the Oversight of Local Audit and the Transparency of Local Authority Financial Reporting Review by Sir Tony Redmond, which impacts on the qualification criteria and roles and responsibilities for Independent Members will be prescribed.

Role of Independent Person

The Localism Act 2011, requires Local Authorities to appoint Independent Persons to support the Monitoring Officer in the management of Code of Conduct issues and in particular the handling of complaints about elected members.  The term of office for Independent Persons will be one term ie four years with an option to renew for a further term.  There is no limit on the number of Independent Persons who can be appointed but for resilience and due to the volume of work it is preferable to appoint more than one Independent Person.

Mr Richard Gadd

Mr Richard Gadd has had a successful career in the Military until 2018, and has managed multi-disciplinary teams and had significant oversight of governance and assurance matters across a range of complex specialisms.  Mr Gadd operates a micro business based in York and is an Accredited Senior Healthcare Manager, a Chartered Manager, a Certified Management Consultant, an Executive Coach and Mentor, a Fellow of the Institute of Consulting, Fellow of the Institute of Leadership and Management and a Fellow of Chartered Management.  Mr Gadd is a Level 7 Executive Coach and Mentor and a strong supporter of the Nolan Principles.

Mr Joe Leigh

Mr Joe Leigh is a qualified accountant. He is a member of both CIPFA and ACCA.  Mr Leigh is a former Finance Director in the Public Sector and has wide range of experience of non-executive roles in finance and audit committees.  Mr Leigh has also held positions relating to regulatory and governance functions and has a strong commitment to the upholding of the Nolan Principles of Good Governance. 

Both Mr Richard Gadd and Mr Joe Leigh have been invited to introductory meetings with the Chairs and Vice Chairs of the Audit & Governance Committee and the Joint Standards Committee and following confirmation of their appointment, both will be invited to participate in an induction session. 

Recommendations

Full Council is invited to approve the amendment s to the Council’s constitution as follows:

1) To confirm  the appointment of Mr Richard Gadd and Mr Joe Leigh as Independent Persons on the Joint Standards Committee;

2) To confirm the appointment of Mr Joe Leigh as an Independent Member on the Audit & Governance Committee;

Reasons for the Recommendation

These appointments will support the council’s governance framework including the ethical governance framework.

Options

The Council has the option to reject the proposed appointments however such a course of action is not advised as in doing to the council’s governance framework will be negatively impacted.

Implications

Financial

There are none directly arising from this report.

Human Resources (HR)

There are none directly arising from this report.

Equalities

There are none directly arising from this report.

Legal

The legal implications are as detailed within this report.  The Council’s Constitution does provide for the appointment of Independent Members to the Audit & Governance Committee and Independent Persons to the Joint Standards Committee.

Crime and Disorder, Information Technology and Property

There are none directly arising from this report.

Author &  Chief Officer responsible for the report: Janie Berry Director of Governance & Monitoring Officer
	Report Approved	√	Date	30/06/2022
Specialist Implications Officer(s):
Wards Affected:					All	√
For further information please contact the author of the report

Background Papers:

· The Council’s Constitution