The Jewish Leadership Council will establish an independent committee to lead its review of the allegations surrounding former chief executive Jeremy Newmark, it has announced.

A retired judge will be appointed to chair the group, and the JLC is awaiting the Charity Commission’s approval.

The JLC said last week it was beginning an in-depth review of its handling of Mr Newmark’s departure from the organisation in 2013.

But today’s announcement, which comes after a quarterly meeting of its membership council last night, goes further than was previously planned.

Simon Johnson, JLC chief executive, said: “We have decided to appoint an independent review committee to reassure our members and the community at large.

“We are committed to ensuring that this process is run independently, with integrity and in conjunction with the Charity Commission to ensure it is comprehensive.”

The JLC said its intention was for the review – which will be independent of the JLC’s trustees – to be supported by two specialists in accountancy and charity.

The review committee will be responsible for agreeing the terms of reference after deliberations with the Charity Commission, and the JLC will publish the names of the committee members and the terms of reference.

Last week the JLC refused to guarantee that the full results of its review would be made public. It said the process would be led by independent advisers who would work “in conjunction” with Mr Johnson and Jonathan Goldstein, the JLC chairman.