More than £50,000 of taxpayers' money could be spent on an investigation into how a councillor continued to serve on East Devon District Council, despite being under a five-year investigation for serious child sex offences.

John Humphreys is currently serving 21 years in prison after being convicted last August of assaulting two teenage boys.

As well as being a long-standing member of the Conservative Party, East Devon district and Exmouth town councillor, Humphreys is a former mayor of Exmouth.

He was appointed an alderman of East Devon District Council in 2019, after stepping down from all his public roles, before his arrest became public knowledge.

Devon County Council is also investigating its own role in the Humphreys case, after admitting it had made mistakes after it had been informed of his arrest.

At an extraordinary meeting of East Devon District Council last Wednesday, Cllr Jess Bailey (Independent, West Hill and Aylesbeare) proposed that the council instruct independent investigations company Verita to look into the case.

The motion, seconded by Labour councillor Paul Millar, was passed by a majority vote.

Verita, which has completed more than 350 investigations – some described as "high profile" – said the Humphreys investigation is expected to cost between £35,000 and £45,000, excluding VAT and expenses, and will take two to three months to complete.

Cllr Philip Skinner (Tale Vale, Conservative) told last week's meeting that the council's finances were "stretched", and asked where the money would come from for the investigation, which he believed would leave them "no further forward".

Other councillors asked if money was "more important than children's safety", although Humphreys is now in prison.

Some questioned why Verita was the chosen investigator. The council's chief executive, Mark Williams, suggested that other options should be explored, including the authority's own external auditors or that the council refer itself to the Secretary of State Best Value inspection team.

One councillor reminded councillors that Devon County Council's investigation was being headed by a former Ofsted inspector.

One Verita case study, as highlighted by Cllr Paul Hayward (Independent/East Devon Alliance Party, Yarty), are investigations into Jimmy Savile's access to victims in NHS and educational settings.

These investigations scrutinised the paedophile's access into areas of public life, with similarities to the investigation now commissioned by East Devon District Council.