Issue - meetings

Report of the Monitoring Officer

The Monitoring Officer presented a report updating the Committee about the review of the Councillor Complaint Form, guidance and the process for lodging a complaint.

The Monitoring Officer explained that a number of changes to the form were proposed, as outlined in the report.

In relation to the Complaint Form, Ms White – Independent Person asked whether the form complied with online accessibility tools, to ensure that it was clear and understandable and that there was facility to download it. The Chairman agreed that the ability to share and complete the form offline and then submit it via email or post would be helpful.

In relation to the Complaint Form Guidance, Ms White – Independent Person referred to the use of the word vexatious and questioned whether the public would understand its meaning. The Monitoring Officer explained that the policy was available on the Council’s website and was called the Unreasonable and Vexatious Complaints Policy, and that it explained what behaviour would be deemed as being vexatious.

In relation to the process for submitting a complaint, the Monitoring Officer noted that previous feedback about accessibility and having the option to download would also be relevant for the process.

It was RESOLVED that the Standards Committee:

a) considered and discussed the proposed changes suggested by officers at paragraph 4.1 and any additional ideas committee members may put forward; and

b) gave officers a clear mandate to move forward with the revisions to the Councillor Complaint form and guidance and the process for making a complaint.