Gateshead councillors are calling for criminal background checks for elected officials, including enhanced scrutiny for those with specific responsibilities. Every councillor in Gateshead’s council chamber next week will vote on a motion calling for basic DBS checks on all councillors upon election and re-election and enhanced checks for members with more responsibilities in education, children's social care, and adult social care.
Background of the motion
An independent national review in 2023 concluded that such checks should be compulsory, but such a move would require legislation, and that councils should adopt them as best practice. When a child is taken into council care, the local authority becomes a ‘corporate parent’, including councillors, employees and parent agencies. The review “did not discover any examples” where enhanced checks found material that raised safeguarding concerns in relation to a councillor’s suitability to carry out their duties.
Specific proposals
The council motion, brought forward by opposition Labour councillors, also calls for the following: that no member shall be appointed to, or continue to serve on, the Corporate Parenting Board unless they have obtained a Basic DBS Disclosure and complied with the Council’s agreed process for providing confirmation of that check.
Next steps
The motion will be decided at the next full council at Gateshead Civic Centre on July 16, which begins at 2:30pm. Northumberland County councillors were encouraged to enact similar measures after the council passed a motion in 2024, following a petition signed by more than 1,000 residents. In addition, in February of this year, North Tyneside Council bosses stated they would ask their legal department to look into introducing DBS checks for councillors.
