Changes to the Complaints System
On 8th May 2008, the responsibility for considering written
complaints against Members of the Council and Members of the Town
and Parish Councils within the area of Bath and North East
Somerset, for breach of the Code of Conduct for Members, moved to
the Council’s Standards Committee.
Code of Conduct for Members
If a complaint is very serious, it may be referred by the
Standards Committee to the Standards Board for England for
investigation. Less serious complaints may be referred to the
Council’s Monitoring Officer for investigation or other appropriate
action, for example, training and/or conciliation.
What this means to you
After 8th May 2008, if you want to submit a written complaint
about the conduct of a Member of the Council or a Member of one of
the Town or Parish Councils within the area of Bath and North East
Somerset, you must submit your complaint to the address shown
below.
If you wish to make a complaint against any Member, you will
have to complete the necessary complaint form and provide relevant
evidence to substantiate your allegations. The form is
available from the Monitoring Officer and is also available to
download on the right hand side of this page.
A breach of the Code may include:-
- Bullying
- Failing to treat others with respect
- Disclosing confidential information
- Accepting inappropriate gifts and hospitality or failing to
declare gifts and hospitality
- Disreputable conduct
- Misuse of Council facilities or resources
- Failing to declare a personal or prejudicial interest
- Having a prejudicial interest and failing to disclose it
- Failing to register interests
Please note that under this system, the Standards Committee can
only deal with complaints about the alleged behaviour and conduct
of a Member. It is not able to deal with complaints about any
of the Council’s officers or matters which are not covered by the
Council’s Code of Conduct.
Bath and North East Somerset Council’s
Code of Conduct.
If you are unsure about any aspect of the process, you may
contact the Monitoring Officer before submitting any
complaint. The Monitoring Officer will be able to advise you
on the process but will not be able to comment on whether or not
the Member, the subject of your complaint. If your complaint
is clearly not about Member conduct the Monitoring Officer will be
able to advise you on another course of action.
You should submit your written complaint by post, email or fax
to the address set out below, preferably within 28 days of the
alleged breach or explain in the complaint form why the complaint
is being submitted outside this period of time.
Address for Submission of a Written Complaint
The Chairman of the Standards Referrals Sub-Committee
C/o Vernon Hitchman, Monitoring Officer
Bath and North East Somerset Council
Temple Street
Riverside
BS31 1LA
Tel No. 01225 395171
Fax No. 01225 394043
Email. vernon_hitchman@bathnes.co.uk
Following receipt of a complaint about the behaviour or conduct
of a Member of the Council or one of the Town or Parish Councils
within the Bath and North East Somerset area, the Monitoring
Officer will refer the complaint to the Standards Referrals
Sub-Committee. The Standards Referrals Sub-Committee will
decide whether the complaint falls within its jurisdiction and, if
it does, whether the complaint should be referred for investigation
or other action. Where a complaint is referred for
investigation or other action, it does not mean that the Referrals
Sub-Committee has made up its mind about the allegation. It
simply means that the Sub-Committee believes that the alleged
conduct, if proven, may amount to a failure to comply with the Code
of Conduct and that some action should be taken in response to the
complaint.
Previously any complaints about Councillors conduct were dealt
with by the Standards Board for
England
