Changes to the complaints procedure
From 8 May 2008 the responsibility for considering complaints
that a councillor may have breached the Code of Conduct moved
to the standards committees of local authorities.
The Code of Conduct sets out the rules governing the
behaviour of councillors in local authorities across the country
and is included in Part 5 of the
Council's Constitution.
What this means to you
Complaints about the conduct of a Suffolk Coastal district
councillor or a councillor from one of our parish or town councils,
must now be submitted in writing to:
Chairman of the Assessment Sub-Committee,
The Standards Committee,
Suffolk Coastal District Council,
Melton Hill,
Woodbridge IP12 1AU.
Fax: 01394 385100
Email:
committee.section@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk
Complaints against County Councillors need to be made to that
authority’s Standards Committee.
How to get a complaints form
You can download or print off a complaints form by following the
links below:
Printable form (new window PDF 54KB) for
completion by hand that can be submitted by fax or post on
completion.
Electronic form (new window Word 117KB) that
can be submitted by email, fax or post on completion.
Follow this link for help with opening and downloading Word
and PDF files.
Complaint forms are also available at the Council’s main
reception desk.
What happens next?
The assessment sub-committee can only deal with complaints about
the behaviour of a councillor. It will not deal with complaints
about things that are not covered by the Code of Conduct. Any
complaints must be clear as to why the complainant thinks that a
councillor has not followed the Code of Conduct.
An initial assessment of the complaint will be made within 20
working days of receipt. If the decision is to take no further
action, complainants will have the right to ask for that initial
decision to be reviewed.
Follow this link for
information about Suffolk Coastal's Standards
Committee.
For further information, or to discuss these changes, please
contact the Council’s Monitoring Officer, Hilary Slater, on
01394 444336 or email to
hilary.slater@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.