Councillor Code of Conduct

Complaints that a Borough or Parish Councillor may have breached their code of conduct, are dealt with by the Councils' Monitoring Officer and Legal Team in consultation with an Independent Person.

Parish Councils individually have their own code of conduct which can be located on each Council's website. A list of the Parish Councils within the Borough of Great Yarmouth can be found on the Committee Management Information System (opens new window).

The Monitoring Officer can only deal with complaints arising from breaches of the specific rules within the relevant Code of Conduct. In submitting a complaint complainants should be clear as to which part of the code has been breached.

Submit a complaint form

What happens after my complaint?

Once we have received your complaint, we will provide you with a reference number.

The Councillor who is the subject of the complaint will be provided with a copy of the complaint and asked to provide a response to the allegations before it is investigated.

The Monitoring Officer will then undertake an initial assessment of whether there is a breach and consults the independent person. Together they decide on the next step:

• that no action be taken
• the issue may be dealt with by informal resolution, for example an apology from the councillor, training, mediation or other action
• an investigator appointed

The investigator's report is considered by the Monitoring Officer and the Independent person who will conclude whether a formal hearing before the Standards Sub-Committee is required.