New complaints role for Rochdale Council

Date article online: 14/05/2008

Members of the public concerned about councillors' conduct can now make complaints directly to Rochdale Council.

Previously, anyone wishing to complain about the conduct of elected members had to report their allegations to the Standards Board for England, who would decide whether or not to investigate. This responsibility has now been taken over by authorities, with the Standards Board's role moving towards one of advice and support.

All councillors have to abide by a Code of Conduct to ensure that they maintain the high ethical standards the public expect from them. If a complaint reveals that a potential breach of this Code has taken place, Rochdale Council may refer the allegations for investigation or decide to take other action.

Investigations themselves will also be managed by Rochdale Council through a series of Sub-Committees of its Standards Committee, except in cases where a conflict of interest or other unusual circumstances mean that it would be more appropriate for the Standards Board to handle.

Once cases have been investigated, the authority's independently-chaired Sub-Committees of the Standards Committee will decide what action, if any, should be taken against the member. On rare occasions this responsibility will be given to the Adjudication Panel for England, an independent judicial tribunal.

The Standards Board will continue to provide guidance to authority standards committees and will monitor their effectiveness to ensure that results are consistent.

Chief Executive Roger Ellis said that handling and investigating complaints at a local level will give Rochdale Borough Council the opportunity to take control of its ethical standards and should streamline the process for both the complainant and the member under investigation: "Naturally, we expect high standards of behaviour among our elected members, and we shall continue to make every effort to ensure that such standards are maintained. The majority of members will never find themselves subject to an investigation, but for the small number of cases where there is cause for concern, we will aim to deal with the allegations quickly and efficiently."

Complaints can be submitted in writing to: Chair of the Assessment Sub-Committee, The Standards Committee, C/o Democratic Support Manager, Legal and Democratic Service, PO Box 15, Town Hall, Rochdale, OL16 1AB.

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 Members' Code of Conduct. So, if you make a complaint to the Assessment Sub-Committee it must be about why you think a member has not followed the Code of Conduct.