All services
  1. Home
  2. Councillors and democracy
  3. Councillors, meetings and committees

Make a complaint about a Councillor

Councillors and council officers should uphold the highest standards of conduct and:

  • act with integrity and honesty
  • act lawfully
  • treat all persons fairly and with respect
  • lead by example and act in a way that secures public confidence in their role
  • exercise responsibilities impartially in the interests of the local community
  • not improperly seek to confer an advantage, or disadvantage, on any person
  • avoid conflicts of interest
  • exercise reasonable care and diligence

Our Members’ Code of Conduct:

  • sets out the standards of behaviour expected of councillors
  • provides a personal check and balance
  • sets out the type of conduct against which appropriate action may be taken

It protects the public, fellow councillors, council officers and the reputation of local government.

The minimum standards of conduct required of councillors are set out in our Constitution.

Dealing with complaints

If you make a complaint that a councillor has failed to comply with the our Members’ Code of Conduct (or in the case of a parish or town councillor, that parish or town council’s Code of Conduct) we will:

  • acknowledge receipt of your complaint as soon as possible
  • the Monitoring Officer will consult with an independent person and take a decision on whether the matter should be rejected, dealt with informally or investigated further - the initial assessment will be completed as soon as possible (usually within 15 working days)
  • the councillor concerned will be informed of the receipt and nature of the complaint and be given the opportunity to comment
  • if the Monitoring Officer decides to investigate, an Investigating Officer will be appointed who will produce a draft report for both you and the councillor to comment on. These comments will be taken on board before the final report is issued to the monitoring officer
  • the Monitoring Officer will consider the outcome of the report. They may decide to deal with the complaint informally or refer the complaint for a local hearing before members of the Democracy and Standards Sub-Committee

A full explanation of arrangements for dealing with allegations of breaches of our Member Code of Conduct can be found in our Constitution (Member Complaints Procedure).

Make a complaint

Make a code of conduct complaint

For further advice, you can contact the monitoring officer by emailing [email protected] or writing to:

The Monitoring Officer
North Northamptonshire Council
Sheerness House
41 Meadow Road
Kettering
NN16 8TL

Last updated 14 February 2025