How our Standards & Appeals Committee works
The Standards and Appeals Committee came into effect on July 1, 2012, following changes in legislation under the Localism Act 2011 to promote and maintain high standards of conduct by members of the authority, through the adoption and operation of a code of conduct.
The role of this committee, which consists of seven members of the authority (previously five members but increased at the Annual Meeting on 10 July 2019), is to investigate or comment on any matters relating to ethical standards referred to it by the Chief Executive or Monitoring Officer.
Members of the Standards and Appeals Committee elected at the Authority’s Annual Meeting in July 2021 are: Ms Pippa Ross, Ms Liz Ellis, Ms Marie Fallon, Cllr Alan Sharp, Cllr Eileen Cartie and Cllr Val Gibson. There is currently one vacancy.
Next meeting
The next Standards and Appeals Committee meeting will be held on Wednesday February 16th starting at 2:15pm at Northumberland National Park Authority, Eastburn, Hexham NE46 1BS.
Independent Person
In addition, an Independent Person, who is not a member or co-opted member of the authority, is appointed to provide advice to both the Monitoring Officer and the Standards and Appeals Committee in relation to the adherence to the code of conduct. Meetings of the Standards and Appeals Committee are held as and when required. The current Independent Person is Mr Seth Marber (appointed Spring 2021).
