CONCERN has been raised over changes proposed to Bournemouth council's standards committee.

On Friday members of the borough's constitutional review board will discuss removing a rule which currently states that of the three councillors sitting on the committee – which judges whether members have been guilty of misconduct – only two can come from one political party.

This would feasibly allow all three to come from one political party, causing opposition members to express their concern about a potential loss of transparency and objectivity.

There are also up to three non-council members of the committee.

Council legal officer Tanya Coulter said political balance will be retained however, as the rule still states that members "will be drawn proportionately from the political groups represented on the council".

The borough says the reason for the removal of the reference is because the overall proposal is to increase the size of the committee, although the agenda for the review board's meeting only states that they "may also wish to consider increasing the number of councillors on the committee to provide further resilience".

At present Bournemouth council has 51 Conservative members, one from the Green Party and two Independents, and there have been difficulties as a result obtaining a 'proportional' balance on all committees. This balance is calculated via a formula and applied across all the committees.

The previous non-Tory member of standards was the Independent councillor Anne Rey, who retired from the role in November.

Her replacement in the Throop and Muscliff ward, fellow Independent Kieron Wilson, said the possibility of Green member for Winton East Simon Bull taking up a seat on the committee had been discussed at an unrecorded nominations board hearing in February, but it was "put down pretty quickly".

"It is always important to have a balance on any committee," he said.

"It would be better if we had more opposition members in full council itself, but there should be one on every committee."

Cllr Bull said if there were no opposition member on the standards committee it could lead to "a perception that one party is looking after its own".

"One has to think about public perception and transparency," he said.

"I am on a number of panels or boards but would consider doing it if asked."

Former Tory turned Independent councillor Stephen Bartlett said: "There is no reason why there should not be an opposition member on this committee."

He added: "I think generally the council and the Conservative group recognise that we do need opposition members preferably on all boards."