The Selection and Member Services Committee convened to address member induction, independent standards personnel, and appointments to outside bodies. Councillor Brian Collins was elected as chair of the committee. The committee agreed to delegate authority to the Monitoring Officer to recruit up to two independent persons and also agreed to a process for nominations to outside bodies.

Outside Bodies Member Appointments

The committee discussed appointments to various outside bodies, as detailed in Appendix 1. Ruth Emberley, Democratic Services Officer, highlighted that political proportionality, as outlined in the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, doesn't always apply to these appointments, but the council has generally aimed for a proportional distribution among political groups.

Updates were provided on specific bodies:

• The Aylesham and District Community Workshop Trust has removed the requirement for a Kent County Council (KCC) appointed member.
• The Rochester Bridge Trust is reviewing its constitution and plans to eliminate one of the two KCC-nominated positions by 31 May 2026. The committee is tasked with nominating someone to fill the current vacancy until 31 May 2027.
• Clarity is being sought regarding appointments to the Duke of York Military School.

Several members expressed interest in the Gatwick Airport Consultative Committee and the Southern Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.

Harry Rayner put himself forward for the Kent Association of Local Councils (KALC) and the Kent Downs National Landscape Joint Advisory Committee. He noted his extensive involvement with KALC, representing town and parish councils in Kent for over 30 years, and his prior role as vice chairman of KELC. He also mentioned that the High Weald AONB¹ is now known as the High Weald National Landscape.

Councillor Connie Nolan raised concerns about the convention of proportional representation, suggesting the committee should decide whether to continue this practice. Councillor Tim Prater noted the difficulty of applying proportionality due to the varying levels of commitment and responsibility required by different outside bodies. He suggested prioritising councillors' locality when making appointments.

Maxwell Harrison asked about the process for members to put themselves forward for these positions.

The committee agreed to a process where:

1. Mr Watts will draft an email outlining the roles and criteria, and send it to the committee for approval before sending it to all members.
2. Members can then submit nominations.
3. If the number of nominations for a position does not exceed the number of vacancies, Mr Watts is delegated the authority to make the appointments.
4. If there are more nominations than vacancies, a paper will be brought back to the committee for a decision, with a discussion on how to ensure fairness in the selection process.

Standards Independent Person Appointment

Ben Watts, General Counsel, introduced a report seeking approval to recruit up to two independent persons to consider code of conduct issues. He explained that the council has been well served by Michael George, but additional independent persons are needed to increase capacity and resilience.

The Localism Act 2011 requires the council to appoint an independent person to advise the Monitoring Officer on alleged breaches of the Kent Member Code of Conduct. The responsibilities of the independent person include advising on investigations, consulting on allegations, and providing views to members subject to allegations.

The committee agreed to delegate authority to the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the Leaders of the Political Groups, to carry out a recruitment exercise for up to two Independent Persons, and make recommendations for appointment to County Council.

Induction Update

Ben Watts provided an update on the member induction programme. He noted that 68 out of 81 councillors were new, with 64 being entirely new to the council. A detailed induction plan was implemented, with high attendance rates at training sessions. Further development opportunities are being considered, including additional sessions on core areas like the budget and governance arrangements.

Councillor Nolan suggested incorporating a self-check for members to assess their comprehension of the training material. Mr Watts responded positively, noting that the council had already made video sessions available on KNET² and would consider developing a self-assessment tool.

Another councillor expressed gratitude to Mr Watts and his team, particularly Kay Goldsmith, for their work in preparing the training sessions.