Complain about a councillor or co-opted member

If you are unhappy about the way a councillor or co-opted member has behaved and believe that he or she has breached the council's Code of Conduct you can complain to the council.

What you need to do

Complaints will only be considered on a complaint form and emailed to: monitoringofficer@cambridgeshire.gov.uk. If you are unable to send via email, please post to:

The Monitoring Officer
c/o Democratic Services,
Cambridgeshire County Council
New Shire Hall
Emery Crescent
Enterprise Campus
Alconbury Weald
Huntingdon
PE28 4YE

Or email: monitoringofficer@cambridgeshire.gov.uk

Member Conduct Complaint Form118KB–word
Size: 118KBFile format: word

The monitoring officer will review all complaints received by the authority and shall, in consultation with the independent person, undertake an initial assessment to determine, whether the complaint is admissible and, if so, to decide whether:

  • it warrants investigation
  • it may be suitable for alternative resolution without investigation
  • it does not warrant further action

Gillian Holmes and Grant Osbourn have been appointed by the Council to the role of Independent Person until 15 October 2024.

The arrangements for dealing with allegations of breaches of the Members' Code of Conduct and a flowchart outlining the process can be accessed below:

If you make a complaint relating to the code of conduct, the complaint must state why you think a councillor has not followed the code of conduct.

You are required to provide your name and a contact or e-mail address so that receipt of your complaint can be acknowledged and you can be informed of its progress

Please indicate if you wish to keep your name and address confidential, in which case the Council will not disclose it to the Councillor or co-opted member against whom you are making the complaint, without your prior consent. The authority does not normally investigate anonymous complaints, unless there is a public interest in doing so.

The Monitoring Officer will review every complaint received and, after consultation with the Independent Person (Gillian Holmes and Grant Osbourn) has been appointed by the Council to the role of Independent Person until 15 October 2024), take a decision as to whether the complaint is admissible and, if so, to decide whether:

  • it warrants investigation
  • it may be suitable for alternative resolution without investigation
  • it does not warrant further action

This decision will normally be taken within 14 days of receipt of your complaint.

Where the Monitoring Officer has taken a decision, she will inform you of her decision and the reasons for that decision.

The arrangements for dealing with allegations of breaches of the Members' Code of Conduct and a flowchart outlining the process can be accessed at the bottom of the page.

dealing-with-allegations-of-breaches-april-2023147KB–pdf
Size: 147KBFile format: pdf
Members' ethics complaints procedure flowchart536KB–pdf
Size: 536KBFile format: pdf