Kingston upon Thames is set to bolster its ethical standards regime with the appointment of two additional Independent Persons and the extension of an existing term. The Audit, Governance and Standards Committee has recommended that Graham Kitchen and Michael Turner be appointed, and that Gary Roger's term be extended, to advise the Monitoring Officer on matters relating to the Member Code of Conduct.
Independent Persons provide impartial advice on the conduct of elected and co-opted members. Their views are sought and taken into account before the Council makes decisions on allegations of misconduct that it has decided to investigate. The views of the Independent Person may also be sought in other circumstances by the Council and also by a Member or co-opted Member of the Council if that person's behaviour is the subject of an allegation.
The recommendation was made at the Audit, Governance and Standards Committee meeting on Thursday, 13 November 2025, and will now go to full Council for approval on 16 December 2025.
The Interim Director of Governance and Law and Monitoring Officer presented the report recommending the appointments and extension. The recommendation is that Graham Kitchen and Michael Turner be appointed to act as Independent Persons under s28 of the Localism Act 2011 for a four year period to 16 December 2029, and that Gary Roger's appointment be extended by a four year period to the end of the municipal year 2029/30. It was also recommended that an allowance of £643.79 per annum be made available for Independent Persons to claim, if they so wish, which would be paid on a pro rata basis.
The Council currently has one Independent Person, Gary Rogers. Gary Rogers was first appointed to serve as the Council's Independent Person by Council on 16 May 2023 for a three year period to the end of the 2025/26 municipal year. It is proposed to extend his term of office by a four year period to the end of the municipal year 2029/30.
The need for additional Independent Persons arose after Justine Antill stepped down from the role. A recruitment exercise was conducted jointly with the London Borough of Sutton in October 2025 to identify suitable candidates. Following the recruitment exercise, an interview panel comprising representatives from both authorities, including both Council's Deputy Monitoring Officers and Kingston's Monitoring Officer, identified Graham Kitchen and Michael Turner as having the skills and experience suitable for appointment to the role.
According to the Public reports pack, their views are sought and taken into account before the Council makes decisions on allegations of misconduct.
