A powerful committee set up to keep a watchful eye on integrity and corruption in the new-look Bradford Council is to meet for the first time.

The Standards Committee, chaired by the Bishop of Bradford, will meet on Thursday to discuss a new 'whistleblowing' system which will allow staff to voice concerns on issues in confidence.

They may include illegal behaviour, disclosures on miscarriages of justice, health and safety risks to employees and the public, and any unethical conduct such as sexual or physical abuse of clients. The code will also extend to Council contract workers.

Members will also discuss three other new codes of practice. They will include a planning code to make sure decisions are made fairly, a procedure for complaints about councillors, and a guide on how the new scrutiny committees will operate.

The committee is chaired by the Right Reverend David Smith and made up of councillors from the three parties - Councillor Lynne Joyce (Labour), Councillor Qasim Khan (Conservative) and Councillor Sam Micklam (Liberal Democrat).

The Bishop said: "I am honoured to be asked to chair the Standards Committee and I am committed to ensuring that matters that come before us will be dealt with fairly and without bias towards any political party.

"I look forward to working with other members of the committee who I am sure share my concerns that proper procedures are followed. It is fitting, therefore, that our first job will be to consider these new codes of practice."

Chief Executive Ian Stewart said: "I welcome the setting up of the Standards Committee which will help ensure that Bradford Council sets the highest standards of conduct possible."

If the codes are approved by the Standards Committee, they will go to full council in February.

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