Complain about a councillor

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Making a complaint

Complaints must be submitted in writing (email or posted letter).

You can download the Allegation of Member Breach of Code of Conduct Form (MS Doc) to help with your complaint.

Complaints should be addressed to the Monitoring Officer and/or Head of Governance, contact details are on the allegation form.

You must include the following information when making a complaint:

  • your name and address
  • your email address and / or telephone number
  • whether you are complaining as a member of the public, as a fellow Councillor, or as an officer of the council
  • who the complaint is about
  • what part of the code of conduct you believe has been breached
  • details of the alleged misconduct (including dates, witness details)

Refer to the Members Code of Conduct (Part 4D) and Procedure for Dealing with Complaints (Part 4D1) set out in the Council’s Constitution

If you make a complaint, your identity will normally be disclosed to the councillor who is the subject of your complaint.

If you would find it difficult to make a complaint in writing - for instance if you have a physical disability that prevents this, or English is not your first language, then please contact Governance Service (governanceservice@barnet.gov.uk) to discuss options.

What happens next?

Receipt of complaint

When your complaint is received, it will be acknowledged within five working days and further details may be sought.  

Complaints will initially be investigated by the Monitoring Officer or a representative designated by him / her.  The initial investigation will include consultation with an Independent Person.  Following the initial investigation, the Monitoring Officer (or representative) will decide whether any complaint should go to a formal process or determine that the allegation does not merit any further action.

If the Monitoring Officer decides that a complaint should go to a formal process, the Monitoring Officer will provide a written report to the Standards Committee.  The report will comprise purely factual findings without any conclusion drawn.

Formal Hearing

A meeting of the Standards Committee will be convened to hear the case. The Committee has representation from the Administration and Opposition Groups on the Council.   The Procedure to be followed and any actions available to the Committee are detailed in the Procedure for Dealing with Complaints in the Council’s Constitution