Council bosses slammed as only 13 of 60 Oldham Councillors found to have a valid DBS check

The Leader of Oldham Council’s Liberal Democrat Opposition councillor Howard Sykes MBE has slammed council bosses after it emerged that just 13 of Oldham’s 60 elected councillors hold a valid DBS check. 

DBS stands for Disclosure and Barring Service.  A DBS check is a way for employers to check your criminal record, to help decide whether you are a suitable person to work for them. This includes deciding whether it is suitable for you to work with children or vulnerable adults.

Councillor Sykes said, “It is completely outrageous that the council has allowed a situation where so many elected members have not had these checks.  It has long been standard practice for all councillors to have a valid DBS check.  This is a disgrace; and it makes a mockery of any claims that Oldham Council is getting the basics right.”

Councillor Sykes has written to Oldham’s Chief Executive Harry Catherall and the Leader of the Council Arooj Shah demanding that the outstanding DBS checks are actioned immediately.

“The Council is trying to re-assure the public about CSE but allows something like this to lapse, it does not fill me or public with confidence,” he added.  “No wonder, when I first asked for this information back in 2023, it was refused.”

In his letter to Mr Catherall and councillor Shah, councillor Sykes said, “As you will be aware, just 13 of Oldham’s 60 councillors have current DBS checks.  What actions will you take to ensure due diligence is carried out and by what date can we expect completed DBS checks on all elected members?

Update: Oldham Council have now revised their figure to 29 out of the 60 councillors with an up to date DBS check – still less than half.