Make a complaint about a councillor

Please read the content on our page ‘Make a complaint about a councillor’ very carefully before you submit a complaint which explains:

• how we deal with requests for anonymity from complainants
• who we share complaint details with

Sometimes we grant anonymity to complainants but if we are not able to protect your identity, we will contact you to explain our decision and, depending on the nature and severity of the complaint, we may give you the option to withdraw it.

If your complaint is serious, we may need to proceed with an investigation without protecting your identity and without giving you the option to withdraw it.

·       Be specific about what you are alleging the member said or did. For instance, instead of writing that the member insulted you, you should state exactly what it was they said or did to insult you.

·       Give dates of the alleged incidents, wherever possible. If you cannot provide exact dates, please give a general timeframe.

·       Confirm whether there are any witnesses to the alleged conduct and provide their names and contact details if possible.

Only complete this next section if you are requesting that your identity is kept confidential. In the interests of fairness and natural justice we consider that members who are complained about have the right to know who has made a complaint. We also believe that they have a right to be provided with the summary of the complaint. We are unlikely to withhold your identity or the details of your complaint unless we consider that there are exceptional circumstances.

It is important to understand that in certain exceptional circumstances where the matter complained about is very serious, we can proceed with an investigation or other action and disclose your name even if you have expressly asked us not to. 

Who we will share this form with once submitted

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

• the Councillor or Councillors you are complaining about
• anyone appointed to investigate your complaint
• the council’s Standards & Ethics Committee
• an independent person who is not a Councillor who will be consulted about your complaint

It is often possible to resolve complaints without recourse to formal investigation and hearing. In such cases it is important that appropriate action to seek to achieve resolution of the matter is undertaken without delay.

To assist us in doing this it would be helpful if you could describe what remedy you are seeking/ what action you think might provide a satisfactory resolution to your complaint: