Complaints about Councillors
How should councillors behave?
Question mark with green shadow
Councillors are expected to represent their communities while being responsible for setting and monitoring policy for the council as a whole. They need to balance different interests and will often have to make difficult decisions. They may be elected on a political platform, and may take into account the views of their political group in deciding how to vote on a particular issue.
The public has a right to expect high standards of conduct from councillors. The standards of conduct expected are set out in a code of conduct. Each member has to sign up to the code of conduct when they accept office. By signing up to the code, a member is actively taking on a formal obligation to abide by its requirements.
What should I do if I feel that a councillor has behaved badly?
If you believe that a borough or parish councillor has breached the code of conduct, you should complain by doing one of the following:
- Send an email to councillorcomplaints@fylde.gov.uk
- Send a letter to Councillor Complaints, Fylde Borough Council, Town Hall, St Annes Road West, St Annes FY8 1LW
- Fill in the complaints form and send it to the address in it.
If you send an email or a letter, you should make sure that you include the following information:
- Your name and address
- The name of the councillor you are complaining about
- If the councillor is a parish councillor, the name of the parish council
- What you think that the councillor has done wrong
It is important that you provide all the information you wish to have taken into account by the sub-committee when it decides whether to investigate your complaint. For example:
- You should be specific, wherever possible, about exactly what you are alleging the member said or did. For instance, instead of writing that the member insulted you, should state what it was they said.
- You should provide the dates of the alleged incidents wherever possible. If you cannot provide exact dates it is important to give a general time frame.
- You should tell us whether there are any witnesses to the alleged conduct and provide their names and contact details if possible.
- You should provide any relevant background information.
- If possible, tell us why you think that what the councillor did was a breach of the code of conduct
What happens next?
We will acknowledge your complaint. The complaint will then be looked at by a sub-committee of the Borough Council’s Standards Committee who will decide whether it should be investigated.
The process is explained in a booklet published by Standards for England.
Where can I find more information?
You can find much more information on the website of Standards for England. You can also contact the council’s Monitoring Officer by writing to him at the Town Hall, calling him on 01253 658506 or emailing him at ianc@fylde.gov.uk.
