DBS checks for councillors after mayor sex offences

Councillors in a borough are to have mandatory criminal record checks after a former mayor pleaded guilty to child sex offences last month.

Sefton Council voted in favour of members undertaking a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check during an audit meeting at Bootle Town Hall.

Former mayor and Litherland councillor, Paul Tweed, 62, was convicted of possessing indecent images of children and extreme pornographic images.

DBS checks for elected members in councils across the country are currently defined as "best practice" rather than statutory.

A 2022 review, carried out by a former chief constable, Simon Bailey, found the DBS check policy at local authorities was inconsistent.

On Merseyside, Knowsley Council has voluntarily introduced enhanced DBS checks for cabinet members who sit on committees for children's and adult's social care services.

However, both Liverpool and Wirral local authorities currently have no required DBS checks for elected members.

Tweed was initially charged with three counts of making indecent images of children and told police he had viewed the images "by accident when browsing pornography" but later pleaded guilty.

A further charge of possession of extreme pornographic images, which Tweed also admitted, was added when he appeared at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on 6 November.

He was given a nine-month suspended sentence.

The proposal for Sefton's councillors to have a basic DBS check also includes a recommendation for enhanced DBS checks for cabinet members who sit on committees for children's and adult social care services.

Councillor Joe Johnson said: "We as councillors would like to go further on this and ensure the maximum amount of safety".

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