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Make a complaint about a councillor

If you have good reason to believe a Councillor or co-opted member has breached their code of conduct, you can use our online form to report your concerns.

Co-opted members are appointed to council committees for their specialist input and are not elected Councillors. They must still sign the code of conduct.

What concerns can I report?

All councillors and co-opted members sign a code of conduct when they take up their post which sets out the standards expected of them. These standards are selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership. 

We will investigate specific breaches of the code of conduct. These include:

  • failure to treat others with respect
  • bullying, harassment and discrimination
  • compromising the impartiality of officers
  • disclosing confidential information or withholding access to information
  • bringing their office into disrepute
  • using their position improperly
  • misusing council resources and facilities
  • failure to regard relevant advice when reaching decisions
  • failure to register or declare interests

How to make a complaint

Please use our online form below to name the Councillor or co-opted member and give us as much information as possible to support your complaint. You can also upload documents as evidence.

If you are complaining about more than one member you should complete a separate form for each.

In order for us to make a decision about whether to take action you must give us as much background information as possible and be:

  • specific - instead of writing that the member insulted you, you should share exactly what they said
  • give the dates of the alleged incidents 
  • provide the names and contact details of any witnesses 

Make a complaint online 

Read our privacy notice which tells you how we use your data.

Who will you share my complaint with?

Unless we give you anonymity, we will share your complaint with:

  • the member or members you are complaining about
  • anyone appointed to investigate your complaint
  • the council’s Standards and Ethics Committee 
  • an ‘Independent Person’ who will be consulted on your complaint

Can I make a complaint and remain anonymous?

We believe that members have a right to know who has made a complaint about them and see a summary of it. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, we are unlikely to withhold your identity or details of your complaint.

If we cannot grant you anonymity, we will contact you to explain why and we may give you the option to withdraw your complaint.

Sometimes we need to investigate a complaint without protecting your identity or giving you the option to withdraw it, for instance, if your complaint:

  • raises safeguarding concerns
  • is a police matter

In this instance, we will inform you of our decision and the next steps.

What happens next?

You can expect a response about the next steps within 14 working days. In some cases the response time may take 28 days.

Meanwhile, our monitoring officer will review your complaint with an independent person who is recruited by the council but is not a councillor. 

The monitoring officer will then decide what response it appropriate. Responses range from no action to a referral for a full formal independent investigation. If a breach of the code of conduct has been found, the matter will also be referred to the Council's Standards and Ethics Committee.