Complaints about the conduct of County Councillors and Co-Opted Members

Complaints made to the County Solicitor as Monitoring Officer that a member or co-opted member has acted in breach of the Code of Conduct will initially be assessed by the Monitoring Office who will first determine whether or not the complaint can be resolved informally.  

If the complaint cannot be resolved informally, the Monitoring Officer will make enquiries to determine the facts of the complaint before deciding whether or not any further action is required.  Before making a decision, the Monitoring Officer may seek the views of an independent person or consult with the Chairman of the Member Conduct Panel.  

From the facts obtained, the Monitoring Officer will determine either to refer the matter to the Member Conduct Panel, or that no further action is required or that some other action is appropriate.  The complainant will then be notified of that decision along with the reasons for that decision.

If the Monitoring Officer decides to refer the complaint to the Member Conduct Panel, the Panel will decide whether an investigation or hearing is appropriate, and may ultimately be involved in conducting a hearing into the complaint.

Please read guidance above before completing a complaint form