Agenda item - Complaints Update – Members and Corporate (June 2014)

8.1 The Committee considered the report of the Monitoring Officer, which was presented by the Standards and Complaints Manager. The report provided an update on allegations about Member conduct since March 2014, a breakdown of complaints received and any service improvement which had arisen following customer feedback, and commented on the processes being introduced to share customer feedback across the organisation. The Monitoring Officer said that the Localism Act 2011 had put a mandatory responsibility on Local Authorities to investigate complaints, and the majority of complaints were resolved informally.

8.2Councillor Simson asked if there was a situation where a complaint was made by a member of the public against a councillor and it was unclear who was at fault, that there was an expectation that the councillor should have a higher standard of conduct. Officers said there was.

8.3Councillor Janio asked what triggered contact from a resident being logged as a formal complaint. Officers said the decision was with the person who raised the complaint, but generally if the complainant wanted a resolution to an issue it would be listed as a complaint.

8.4 RESOLVED

      (1) That the Committee note the report.