Gedling Councillors rejected a motion asking for all members to immediately go through enhanced checks to safeguard children and vulnerable adults – but agreed to look into whether the rule could be introduced into policy in future.

Labour-led Gedling Borough Council met in a full council meeting on Wednesday, January 22.

The motion was put forward by Gedling Council Leader, Cllr Mike Adams (Con), leader of the council’s opposition, to make it mandatory for all councillors to undergo an enhanced DBS check.

An enhanced DBS  (Disclosure and Barring Service) check is the highest level of check available to anyone working in regulated activity with children or vulnerable adults.

The difference between a standard DBS check and an enhanced one is that it reveals unspent convictions, cautions, warnings, and reprimands and other relevant police notes and information.

It also reveals if the current employee is listed on the Children’s Barred List or Adult First list.

Cllr Adams originally raised the motion in 2019. He brought the plan forward again during Wednesday’s meeting, saying that the “safety of staff, fellow councillors and residents” is “not completely represented” in the chamber.

Under the motion, Cllr Adams proposed all future councillors, including those elected from 2023 until present, undergo an enhanced DBS check.

This would have meant all councillors present the DBS information within 72 days of the motion.

Future councillors would have 72 days from the day they are elected to present their DBS check, and all costs would be met by the council.

Cllr Adams said: “This will not only ensure better transparency but also ensure that any risk of harm or untoward behaviour is minimised.”

He added: “This  is something we have to do. We should have done it in 2019. For whatever reason, it wasn’t voted for by the lead group and sadly the motion did not go any further.

“We need to make sure that every councillor who is going to spend time with children or vulnerable adults has been checked to make sure they have no previous criminal convictions that would bar them from being in the presence of [them].

“This is incredibly important and we need to make sure we are doing that for the safety of the children and vulnerable people in our borough.”

Policy on enhanced checks for councillors differs between different types of local authority.

Last January, the then-Conservative Government ordered larger councils which oversee education or social care to carry out the checks for members who sit on committees for these services. As a borough council, Gedling is not directly responsible for schools or social care in the area.

Cllr David Ellis (Lab), Portfolio Holder for Public Protection, moved the amendment to the Standards Committee to come back with a report to the council.

He said in the meeting: “Nobody can disagree with the sentiment that we are responsible for safeguarding and that we ought to do whatever we can to make sure the way we operate is consistent with that, and everyone we come across feels welcome and safe.

“The proposal for a DBS check raises issues in terms of procedures and policies which I feel needs greater consideration.”

Cllr Sam Smith (Con), who seconded the motion, said he was “disappointed” at the amendment calling it an “utter disgrace”.

He said in the meeting: “What a disgrace, what an absolute disgrace of an amendment that is. To use the excuse as ‘procedure and policy issues’. Procedure and policy issues over the protection of children and vulnerable adults?”

Cllr David Ellis (Lab) said there are issues around an enhanced DBS check, saying he doesn’t want a “half-baked” motion but a “properly thought out” approach to the issue.

He added: “This is not intended to dilute the motion, it’s intended to achieve cross-party consensus, move forward and achieve something.

“If it’s amended, I will support the amended motion.”

All nine Conservative councillors voted against the Labour amendment, but  a majority of Labour councillors voted it through.

The amendment will now go to the council’s standards committee to come back with a report to the council before a final decision is made.

Gedling Borough Council has revealed it spent £190,000 on agency workers – including bin lorry drivers – to cover staff shortages in environmental departments.

The Labour-run authority met on Wednesday, January 22, to discuss a budget report covering August to November 2024.

The reports reveal the council spent the £190,000 on agency workers in environmental services from August to November last year.

This includes £90,000 on refuse vehicle drivers, £30,000 on street cleaners and £40,000 on cemetery workers.

The council also spent £30,000 to cover staff absences alone.

A more “permanent solution” is needed to cover staff who aren’t working, the document adds.

Cllr Marje Paling (Lab), the council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment Services, said it had been “difficult” to recruit bin lorry drivers in recent months and to retain them.

She said: “We have set up internal promotion schemes to convert ordinary operatives into drivers.

“They’re very expensive for agency cover. We don’t have any spare drivers or crew and we empty thousands of bins a day.

“There is always a fluctuating number of staff coming and going, so if we cant recruit workers we need agency staff to cover that.”

Recent flooding means more workers are needed to clean up streets, leaving the council no choice but to hire agency staff.

She added: “I’m dreading this weekend, the weather means we’ll have high winds and may go on agency staff to clear trees.

“We had to do that with the flooding. It is a large bill. We had one crisis after another, it’s been a difficult year.”