If you wish to make a complaint that a local councillor within the borough has breached the Members' Code of Conduct, it should be made to our Monitoring Officer, Karen Widdowson.

Your complaint must be made in writing using the online form below:

Make a complaint about a Councillor

Information on the number of complaints that have been received, and the outcome of those complaints, from 2013/14 onwards is set out below.

What to include in my complaint

It is important that you provide all of the information in your complaint about what the councillor has done which in your view breaches the Code of Conduct that you wish to be taken into account. 

For example, please include:

  • a clear explanation of what each councillor has done if you are complaining about more than one individual
  • specific descriptions about what a councillor said or did
  • the dates of alleged incidents wherever possible
  • references to relevant sections of the Code of Conduct wherever possible.

We have adopted a procedure and criteria for assessing complaints and deciding whether they should be referred for further action or not. Please see the related document link at the bottom of this page for further details.

Where to find a list of complaints received

Prior to June 2022, please refer to the Members Conduct Committee webpage for details. 

At every Member Conduct Committee meeting a report (titled 'Update on Complaints Received') is submitted for the consideration of the committee listing the complaints received up to the date of the Committee meeting. At the beginning of each council year (first meeting in June/July) a summary is provided for the preceding year

The Member Conduct Committee on June 13, 2022 made a recommendation that summary factfinding reports be published naming the council involved and providing an overview of the complaint and the fact finding conclusions but not to name the complainant or the councillor being complained about.

Summary factfinding reports are published on this webpage below.

Complaints about parish and town councils

Complaints about individual parish councillors can be made following the process above. Other complaints about parish councils, including about their staff, need to be made directly to the parish council.

Last updated: Mon 2nd December, 2024 @ 12:50