Code of conduct complaints
All councillors must follow the councillors' code of conduct. The code seeks to ensure that councillors observe high standards of conduct which are consistent with the principles of conduct in public life, namely selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
The code also requires councillors to register and disclose their financial and non-financial interests. You can read the full details of the council members' code of conduct and the National guidance on councillors' personal interests.
Our unreasonable behaviour policy sets out what we consider to be unreasonable and unacceptable behaviour in terms of council employees, members and members of the public, and action we will take in response.
Make a complaint about a councillor's conduct
You can read the Standards procedure for dealing with complaints about the code of conduct. It sets out how we deal with complaints about a councillor's conduct and the timescales.
The procedure is for complaints about:
- One or more named members of Herefordshire Council; or a Parish council or town council in Herefordshire
- Conduct that occurred while the member you are complaining about was in office
- How the member has, or may have, failed to comply with the council’s Code of Conduct
We cannot investigate the conduct of an individual before he or she was elected, co-opted or appointed to a council, or after he or she has resigned or otherwise ceased to be a member.
If your complaint is against a parish councillor, the Guidance on complaints against parish councillors sets out what the monitoring officer can investigate in relation to these complaints.
We will tell the member that you are complaining about that we have received a complaint and the name of the person making the complaint. If you have any concerns about this, please contact the monitoring officer, using the details below.
If your complaint is not about a councillor but about a service you have received, or an employee in a service area of the council, please use our service complaints process.
Make a complaint about the conduct of an elected member
Your complaint must be made in writing. If you cannot use the online form, please email us on Code-of-Conduct@herefordshire.gov.uk to request a paper form you can download. You can email the completed form back to us or print it, sign and post to The Monitoring Officer, Herefordshire Council, Plough Lane, PO Box 4, Hereford HR4 0XH.
What to expect after you have submitted your complaint
Our Monitoring Officer (the Director of Law and Governance) is responsible for managing the member complaints process.
- Your complaint will normally be acknowledged within five working days of receipt of the complaint
- We may provide a summary of the complaint to the subject matter councillor at this stage and invite them to comment within 10 days
- Where possible, the monitoring officer will resolve complaints. If, following a formal investigation, this is not possible, the monitoring officer will refer the matter to the Standards Panel
- Where it has been resolved under monitoring officer resolution that there has been a breach of the code of conduct, you can view the decision notices
We have a protocol with West Mercia Police in respect of investigations into alleged criminal failures to declare a disclosable pecuniary interest under Section 34 of the Localism Act 2011.