Complaints against Councillors

Complaints about councillors in the Mendip area can now be made direct to Mendip District Council. As from 8^th May 2008, the responsibility for dealing with complaints about the behaviour of councillors has been taken over by the Council's Standards Committee. Previously, complaints had to be made to the Standards Board for England.

These arrangements apply to complaints about any Mendip district councillor or about any member of the city, town or parish councils in the Mendip area.

To ensure that high ethical standards are maintained, all local councillors must abide by the Code of Conduct which has been adopted by their council. The Standards Committee can only consider complaints which relate to a possible breach of this Code.

Normally, complaints will be considered within 20 working days of receipt. The complaint may be referred for an investigation to be carried out, or the sub-committee which assesses the complaint may decide that some other action, such as mediation, would be more suitable. If an investigation finds a breach of the Code of Conduct has occurred, the Standrads Committee will hold a hearing and decide what action, if any, should be taken against the member concerned.

If you think that you have grounds for a complaint against a councillor, we suggest that you contact the Council's Monitoring Officer (via Customer Services) first for an informal discussion.

Formal complaints should be in writing and should be sent to:

The Standards Committee

c/o Monitoring Officer

Mendip District Council

Cannards Grave Road

Shepton Mallet

BA4 5BT

Complaints can also be e-mailed to customerservices@mendip.gov.uk. marked for the attention of the Monitoring Officer.

Complaint forms and details of the Council's procedures for dealing with complaints against councillors are available via the links on this page. Using the form will ensure that you provide all the information which we need to deal with your complaint as quickly as possible.

If you have any difficulty in making your complaint, or English is not your first language, please let us know and we will arrange to provide help.

Contact

Last Updated

20 July 2010

Page last updated on 20 July 2010