Councillor conduct and standards

Arun District Council (19 003 454)

Statement Upheld Councillor conduct and standards 20-Sep-2019

Summary: Mr and Mrs B complain the Council did not investigate their complaint about a Councillor. They say the Councillor was rude and interrupted Mrs B when she gave her objection during a planning committee meeting. The Ombudsman finds fault in how the Council considered whether to investigate.

Broxtowe Borough Council (18 004 023)

Statement Upheld Councillor conduct and standards 03-Sep-2019

Summary: The Council failed to properly investigate Mr B's complaint about three councillors and significantly delayed providing its response to the complaint. The Council has agreed to apologise, make a payment to Mr B and take action to prevent similar failings in future.

Broxtowe Borough Council (18 018 150)

Statement Not upheld Councillor conduct and standards 30-Jul-2019

Summary: Mr Y complained the Council has failed to follow its complaints procedure following a standards complaint about two of its Councillors' conduct. He says this has made him feel frustrated. We have not investigated this complaint. This is because we cannot achieve the outcomes Mr Y is seeking and he has appealed the planning decision to the Planning Inspectorate.

Epping Forest District Council (18 019 906)

Statement Not upheld Councillor conduct and standards 30-Jul-2019

Summary: Mr X complained a local Councillor accepted a gift from a local businessman without declaring its true cost and this makes the councillor unfit for their role. He wants them removed from certain committees. The Ombudsman has discontinued the investigation as there is no personal injustice to Mr X and we cannot achieve the outcome he wants

Essex County Council (18 016 489)

Statement Not upheld Councillor conduct and standards 11-Jul-2019

Summary: Mr X complains the Council failed to investigate his complaint that a Councillor had breached its Code of Conduct for Members. The Council is not at fault. It considered the information Mr X submitted appropriately and there was no fault in how it reached its decision not to start an investigation.

Bournemouth Borough Council (18 006 521)

Statement Upheld Councillor conduct and standards 16-May-2019

Summary: Mr C complained about the way the Council considered his complaint about a Councillor's conduct. The Ombudsman has found fault in the process which has caused Mr C uncertainty. The Council has agreed to repeat the process.

North Norfolk District Council (18 013 088)

Statement Not upheld Councillor conduct and standards 05-Mar-2019

Summary: Mr X complains the Council did not properly investigate his complaint about the conduct of an elected member. The information provided shows the Council followed an appropriate procedure which included the views of Mr X, the Councillor and an independent person. As there is no evidence of fault in the process we cannot criticise the decision reached.

New Forest District Council (18 013 492)

Statement Not upheld Councillor conduct and standards 28-Feb-2019

Summary: There was no fault in how the Council considered a complaint about an elected member of a parish council. For this reason, the Ombudsman has completed his investigation.

North Somerset Council (18 012 787)

Statement Not upheld Councillor conduct and standards 11-Feb-2019

Summary: Mr D complains about the Council's Standards Committee and the handling of his complaint about a Councillor. The Ombudsman has not found evidence of fault by the Council or a significant injustice to Mr D. He has completed the investigation and not upheld the complaint.

Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council (18 002 121)

Statement Not upheld Councillor conduct and standards 22-Jan-2019

Summary: Mr D complains that the Council's solicitor mishandled his complaint against two councillors by failing to investigate the complaint and requesting irrelevant information from him. He also complains that the Council failed to investigate his complaint about the solicitor's actions. The Ombudsman finds the solicitor properly investigated Mr D's complaint about the councillors and, having reviewed her decision, the Council was not at fault in failing to pursue the matter further.