Standards of Conduct in Local Government

District Councillors Code of Conduct

The Council adopted a new Members Code of Conduct on 19 July 2007. The Code sets out the rules governing the behaviour of Members. All elected, co-opted and independent members of local authorities, including parish councils, are covered by the Code. Each Member has signed an undertaking to act in accordance with the Code of Conduct.

Parish Councils

Each Parish Council has adopted a Code of Conduct which is substantially the same form as Eden District Council's. Each Parish Councillor has agreed to observe the Code of Conduct.

Reporting a Breach of the Code

Anyone may report a breach of the Code of Conduct by a Councillor. Until 8 May 2008, a report of a breach had to be made to the Standards Board. This changed on 8 May; a complaint about a breach of the Code of Conduct now may be made to the District Council's Standards Committee.

The process is:

1. A complaint in writing must be made to the Monitoring Officer at Eden District Council monitoringofficer@eden.gov.uk or by using the online form to report an alleged breach of the code of conduct. There is also a downloadable form at the bottom of this page.
   
   The complaint must relate to a Councillor of Eden District Council or any of the Parish Councils in the District.
   
   The complaint should set out what the Councillor has done wrong, and state who the Councillor is, the Council concerned and your name and contact details. You should set out sufficient detail in your complaint to identify clearly the facts as you see them, and what the breach of the Code of Conduct is.
2. The complaint is considered by a panel of three drawn from the Standards Committee. The panel decides whether the complaint should be investigated or if no further action should be taken. You will be notified of this decision. The decision will be made within twenty working days.
3. If no further action is proposed you will be notified and informed why. You may request this decision to be reviewed by a panel of three different people. The panel will decide whether the complaint will be investigated. Only one review of a decision to take no further action is possible.
4. If the complaint is to be investigated you will be notified of this. You will be contacted by the person who will carry out the investigation on behalf of the Monitoring Officer. It will be intended that all relevant individuals will be contacted during the investigation.
5. The investigator will prepare a report. You will be given the opportunity to comment on the draft report.
6. The report will be presented to the Standards Committee at a special meeting. You will be invited to attend the meeting and may make representations. The Councillor who is the subject of the complaint will be invited to the meeting too.
7. The Standards Committee will make a decision on the information presented to it and decide what action to take, if any, or penalty to impose.