In the interests of fairness and natural justice, the councillor(s) who is the subject of your complaint will normally be told who has complained about them and the details of your complaint. This will not happen until the Assessment Sub-Committee has decided how your complaint will be dealt with.
However, if there are exceptional reasons why you do not want your name to be revealed, you can ask the Assessment Sub-Committee to agree that your details be kept confidential. These reasons should be stated on the complaint form. The Assessment Sub-Committee will consider your request, alongside the substance of the complaint. Valid reasons would include the following:
- You have reasonable grounds for believing that you will be at risk of physical harm if your identity is disclosed
- You are a council officer and you work closely with the councillor you are complaining about and you are worried about the consequences for your job if your identity is disclosed
- You suffer from a serious health condition and there are medical risks associated with your identity being disclosed (you will be required to submit medical evidence of your condition)
Who will deal with your complaint?
Responsibility for dealing with complaints that a borough, town or parish councillor may have breached the Code of Conduct is that of the Wyre Council Standards Committee.
The code sets out a number of general principles which councillors must follow when undertaking their public duties and covers issues such as:
- Standards of personal behaviour
- Relationships with members of the public, paid council officials and other councillors
- Procedures for registering and declaring personal interests
- Procedures for dealing with any offers of gifts or hospitality
As part of the ethical framework for local government set out in the Local Government Act 2000, every councillor when elected and before they take up office has to sign a declaration agreeing to abide by their council's Code of Conduct.
How to make a complaint
To make a complaint about a councillor, you can complete the online form which will be submitted to the council's Monitoring Officer.
Please ensure that you include all the information requested. Anonymous complaints will not be considered.