The Council’s Monitoring Officer is Terry Osborne, the Council's Director of Governance and Law, and plays an important role in helping the Standards Committee to carry out their functions. The Monitoring Officer is the link between councillors and the Standards Committee.

The Monitoring Officer role is set out in detail in the Local Government Act 2000. Essentially it is to monitor the effectiveness of the Code of Conduct and help train Standards Committee members on ethical behaviour. Other functions include:

  • Keeping the Constitution, Standing Orders, Code of Practices and Protocols under review
  • Monitoring Committee reports, agendas and decisions
  • Advising the Executive on legality issues
  • Advising on budget and policy framework
  • Ensuring that the Executive’s decisions (with reasons, officers reports and background papers) are publicly available
  • Providing advice and support to the Council’s Standards Committee
  • Maintaining the Register of Members Interests
  • Advising the Standards Committee in cases referred by the Standards Board for local determinations or investigations
  • Investigating any breaches of the Code of Conduct following a referral from the Standards Board

» More about the Monitoring Officer