The County Council of Gloucestershire Council is scheduled to meet on Wednesday 21 May 2025 to elect a chair and vice-chair, as well as the leader of the council, and to discuss the appointment of independent persons and political assistants. The meeting will also cover the appointment of members to council committees. Councillors will also be asked to approve the minutes of the previous meeting.

Election of Leader of Council and Announcement of Cabinet Membership

The council is scheduled to elect the Leader of Council for a four-year term. Following the election, the Leader of the Council will announce their appointments to the Cabinet.

Appointment of Independent Persons

The council will consider a report from the Director of Policy, Performance and Governance and Monitoring Officer regarding the appointment of independent persons. The Localism Act 2011 requires local authorities to have arrangements in place to maintain high standards of conduct among its councillors, including the appointment of one or more Independent Persons to assist and advise on complaints.

According to the report:

Their role is an important one in insuring that complaints are handled fairly and consistently. They act as the voice of the “person on the street”, helping to ensure that complaints are handled apolitically.

The Audit & Governance Committee conducted a recruitment and selection process leading up to the 2021 election, which resulted in the appointment of Stephen Pearman and Bernard Barton-Ancliffe as Independent Persons for an initial four-year term, with the option to extend their term by a further four years. Both Stephen Pearman and Bernard Barton-Ancliffe have expressed a willingness to continue for a further four-year period. The council will consider extending their appointments for another four years, or until a new council is formed if Local Government Reorganisation results in the dissolution of Gloucestershire County Council.

Appointment of Political Assistants

The council will consider a report from the Head of Democratic Services regarding the appointment of Political Assistants. Political Assistants have been employed by the County Council since 2002. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (LUHC) issued non-statutory guidance on 11 October 2021 for local authorities in England who are considering employing political assistants. Political Assistants work directly for the political groups and are line managed by the Head of Democratic Services, although their day-to-day activities are overseen by the relevant Group Leader.

The legislation restricts Political Assistants to the three largest political groups, and only political groups with at least 10% of the total number of seats on the Council qualify for this support. With 55 members, the threshold is groups with at least six members. The council will consider whether or not to appoint Political Assistants for qualifying political groups.

Council Committees

The council will consider the report of the Head of Democratic Services regarding the appointment of members to council committees.