Code of Conduct complaints process
Changes to the complaints procedure
The responsibility for considering complaints that a member may have breached the Code of Conduct has now moved to the standards committee.
What this means to you
If you want to complain about the conduct of an elected member of Stevenage Borough Council you must submit your complaint to:
Chair of the assessment sub-committee
c/o The Borough Solicitor
Stevenage Borough Council
Daneshill House
Danestrete
Stevenage
Herts SG1 1HN
Alternatively you can download a complaint form below
Making your complaint
The points listed below will help you decide whether this is the correct form to use when making your complaint. You should speak to the Borough Solicitor if you are not clear if the standards committee can consider your complaint. The assessment sub-committee of the standards committee will make the decision about what action, if any, to take on your complaint.
- Your complaint must be about conduct that occurred while the member(s) complained about were in office. Conduct of an individual before they were elected, co-opted or appointed to the authority, or after they have resigned or otherwise ceased to be a member, cannot be considered by the assessment sub-committee.
- Your complaint must be about one or more named members of Stevenage Borough Council.
- Your complaint must be that the member(s) has, or may have, breached the Code of Conduct. A copy of the Code of Conduct and frequently asked questions about the Code of Conduct are available at: www.standardsboard.gov.uk. You may also contact the Borough Solicitor if you require further information.
- Complaints about dissatisfaction with a decision or action of the authority or one of its committees, a service provided by the authority or the authority’s procedures do not fall within the jurisdiction of the standards committee. Complaints about the actions of people employed by the authority also do not fall within the jurisdiction of the standards committee.
It is important to note that not every complaint that falls within the jurisdiction of the standards committee will be referred for investigation or other action. The assessment sub-committee of the standards committee must decide whether this is appropriate. If the assessment sub-committee decides not to refer your complaint for investigation or other action it will give you the reasons for this decision. It will also explain any right that you may have to ask for the decision to be reviewed.
What happens once you submit your complaint?
The Borough Solicitor will refer your complaint to the Sub-committee, if he is satisfied that it is potentially within members remit. The assessment sub-committee will meet to consider your complaint and decide whether it should be referred for investigation or other action. This will happen within an average of 20 working days of the date we receive your complaint. Meetings of the assessment sub committee are ‘closed’, which means that you will not be able to attend. It is therefore very important that you set your complaint out clearly and provide at the outset all the information you wish the assessment sub committee to consider.
The criteria that will be used to assess your complaint and decide whether it should be investigated are set out in the ‘Standards Committee Procedures for the Local Assessment of Complaints against Members.’
When the assessment sub-committee has reached its decision we will notify you, in writing, whether your complaint has been referred for investigation or other action. At the same time we write to you, we will also write to the member(s), about whom you have complained. We will send these letters within five working days of the assessment sub-committee reaching its decision. The decision of the assessment sub-committee is made available for public inspection once the member the complaint is about has been given a summary of the complaint. In very limited situations the member may not be given this summary immediately and if so any public inspection will not happen until the member does get the summary.
What is meant by ‘other action’?
The assessment sub-committee may decide to refer your complaint for ‘other action’ instead of referring it for investigation. Other action is a deliberately broad term that may include options such as requiring the person you have complained about to apologise or undergo training or mediation. The assessment sub-committee will carefully consider the circumstances surrounding your complaint when deciding whether other action is appropriate. If the assessment sub-committee decides to refer your complaint for other action we will explain what this involves.
How should I set out my complaint?
It is very important that you set your complaint out fully and clearly, and provide all the information at the outset. You should also provide any documents or other material that you wish the assessment sub-committee to consider, where possible. Unless the authority advises you otherwise, you will not be able to attend the meeting of the assessment sub-committee.
We recommend that you use our complaint form or provide a covering note summarising what you are complaining about, especially if your complaint includes a lot of supporting documentation. In the summary you should tell us exactly what each person you are complaining about said or did that has caused you to complain. If you are sending supporting documentation please cross-reference it against the summary of your complaint.
You should be as detailed as possible and substantiate your complaint where you can. Although you are not required to prove your complaint at this stage of proceedings, you do have to demonstrate that you have reasonable grounds for believing that the member(s) complained about has breached the Code of Conduct.
Additional Help
Complaints must be submitted in writing. This includes fax and electronic submissions. However, we can make reasonable adjustments to assist you if you have a disability that prevents you from making your complaint in writing.
We can also help if English is not your first language.
If you need any support in completing this form, please let us know as soon as possible.
Telephone:
For additional help: 01438 242242
Borough Solicitor: 01438 242212
Further Information
Standards Board for England - (external website) The Standards Board for England provides an independent, national overview of how local authorities promote and improve the ethical behaviour of their members.
Code of Conduct - Local Code of Conduct for Elected Members
Standards Committee Procedures for the Local Assessment of Complaints against Members