A GROUP has been appointed by Chester-le-Street District Council to ensure its members are truly independent.

Three district councillors, a retired minister and a police chief superintendent are included in the standards committee selected by the North-East Regional Employers' Organisation (NEREO).

The committee, chaired by an independent member, is designed to do the following:

l promote and maintain high standards of conduct by councillors and co-opted members.

l advise the council on adopting the members' code of conduct.

l advise and train councillors on this code of conduct.

Council chief executive Mick Waterson said: "Under the Local Government Act 2000, all local authorities are required to have a standards committee and we want to ensure that we meet - and indeed exceeded - all Government guidelines relating to the appointment of its independent members.

"This committee is one of the changes as we continue to modernise local government, and we welcome this initiative."

The successful candidates for the committee are Elliott Davidson, a retired Methodist minister, David Fisher, director of the Durham Society for the Blind and Partially-sighted, and John Guest, the outgoing chief superintendent of Durham Police.

Also on the shortlist are Vera McEwan, a part-time barrister and university lecturer, Chester-le-Street district councillors Keith Lambert, Keith Davidson and Lance Brown, and parish councillor David Steel.

Members will be paid expenses which will made public in line with standard practice.