What does the Standards Committee do?
The Standards Committee is responsible for promoting high
standards of conduct among those representing their local
electorates or working in public services.
The role of the Standards Committee is to act impartially on
behalf of the residents of the district to help ensure that
councillors and officers of Suffolk Coastal District Council, and
the district’s town and parish councils, continue to meet the high
standards expected of them.
The Council and many of the district's town and parish
councils have adopted the revised national Code of
Conduct issued by the Government in April 2007. 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.
Making a complaint about the conduct of a councillor
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.
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.
Who sits on the Standards Committee and when does it meet?
The committee is made up of four district councillors, two
independent members, and two representatives of the town and parish
councils as the committee also helps and advises all the town and
parish councils in the district.
The two independent members are Kevin Williams of
Felixstowe, a retired secondary school headteacher and magistrate,
and Pamela Lynsey, a retired barrister and former civil
servant.
Independent members have to be aged 18 or over, live or work in
the district, be aware of some of the issues facing the area, and
support the aim that the Council should be accountable, open, and
principled. The rules exclude anyone who is a member or officer of
the Council, or any other relevant local authority, or is a close
friend or relative of any councillor or Council officer.
The two representatives of the town and parish councils are
Michael Argent, a parish councillor from Wickham Market, and Neil
Montgomery, a town councillor from Woodbridge, who were both
nominated by the Suffolk Association of Local Councils (new
window).
The four district councillors on the committee are
Councillor Peter Bellfield (Conservative),
Councillor Cliff Cocker (Conservative)
Councillor Mike Deacon (Labour) and
Councillor John Kelso (Liberal Democrat).
The chairman of the committee is Kevin Williams. The Standards
Committee meets every two months, on the first Thursday of the
month, in the Council Chamber at Melton Hill, Woodbridge. Follow
this link to see the
calendar of Council meetings.
If you would like to know more about the work of the Standards
Committee and the new arrangements for making complaints, you can
contact the Council’s Monitoring Officer on 01394
444336 or email
legal.section@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk.
Alternatively you can write to:
The Monitoring Officer,
Suffolk Coastal District Council,
Melton Hill,
Woodbridge IP12 1AU.