DBS checks for councillors, previously deferred by members of Sandwell Council, has been given the green light this week.

At this week’s meeting of Sandwell Council’s ethical standards committee, it was agreed that all councillors would have three months to provide the council with at least a basic DBS check following May’s local elections with some members having to provide enhanced DBS checks.

The government’s Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is part of the Home Office, which aims to help employers and organisations make safer recruitment decisions. A DBS check will reveal whether an individual has a criminal record.

In 2021, two Conservative councillors – leader of the opposition David Fisher and Liam Abrahams, raised a motion requesting DBS checks for all elected members in an attempt to “improve the level of public confidence in the council”.

During the debate on the motion, Labour councillor Bob Piper asked for a deferment on the decision, suggesting it should be obligatory for all members.

He said: “I’ve got some concerns about this really to be honest. This asks for consent to announce DBS checks for a specific number of members predominantly around the leadership and scrutiny positions.”

In November 2022, a consultation into DBS checks for councillors by Sandwell Council revealed three councillors would not agree to a voluntary DBS check. Councillors were split almost evenly on whether the council or they themselves should fund it.

The annual cost for Enhanced DBS Checks would be approximately £1,216, according to the council, while basic checks – based on 72 members would be £1,296. The council suggest it could also go up to approximately £1,936 for a combination of both styles of checks.

David Fisher, leader of Sandwell Conservatives, said: “I am very pleased to see this is being actioned by the council. It is clear we need to make the public confident in this council’s ability to govern again and that’s what the Conservatives are doing locally.

“Without the Conservatives this wouldn’t have been done and given the successes we have proven to deliver with only 10 members of our group – I would hope that Sandwell resident’s can see that we are on their side and they work with us to increase our influence at the council by electing more Conservatives in May.”

Councillor William Gill – who sits on the committee – said: “All elected councillors have a responsibility to their residents and need to be scrutinised. This should have happened a long time ago but its clear only the Sandwell Conservatives are open to being scrutinised by the public.”

A spokesperson for Sandwell Labour said: “We welcome the agreement for elected members to obtain a DBS check.

“It should, however, be noted that a DBS check provides a snapshot of past history only, and should not be relied on as an alternative to due diligence when selecting candidates or rigorous adherence to the member’s code of conduct and the principles of public life.”