If you believe a Councillor has breached the Members' Code of Conduct you can make a complaint. It will be assessed by the Council's Head of Legal Services who may consult an Independent Person to decide whether it merits formal investigation. If it does, and following an investigation, the complaint may go before the Council's Audit and Standards Committee.
Before you make a complaint about a Councillor you should:
- make reference to the Members' Code of Conduct and state which code the Councillor has breached
- read the complaints procedure guidance
You will need to provide:
- your name and contact details
- the type of complaint
- the name of the Councillor you are complaining about
- details of the complaint
- the contact details of any witnesses
- any supporting evidence
I want to complain about a Councillor
The Council can only conduct an investigation about a Councillor for acts undertaken while representing or purporting to represent the Council, during their term of office.
Local Government Ombudsman (LGO)
The Local Government Ombudsman will not consider a complaint against a Councillor unless it has first been through the Council's complaints process. The LGO does not offer a right of appeal against the Council's decision and it will only decide to investigate if there are sufficient grounds to do so.