Make a Councillor complaint

What happens if somebody breaks the Code?

Under the Localism Act 2012 the council has Standards Arrangements Standards Arrangements for dealing with Standards allegations.

Anyone who wishes to make a complaint about a Councillor failing to comply with theCode of Conduct (opens new window) should complete ouronline Standards Complaints form.

You are also able to download our Standards Complaint Form (Word doc) [55KB]  and return it to:

The Monitoring Officer, Breckland District Council, Elizabeth House, Walpole Loke, Dereham, Norfolk NR19 1EE

Or email the completed form to our Standards team (standards@breckland.gov.uk).

What complaints does the Monitoring Officer deal with?

The Monitoring Officer can only deal with complaints about a failure to comply with theCode of Conduct (opens new window).

If a complaint relates to something other than the Code of Conduct, the following options are available:

• Complaints about the District Council can be made on the website, or by writing to the council:
  • Customer Services, Breckland District Council, Elizabeth House, Walpole Loke, Dereham, Norfolk NR19 1EE
• If, following a complaint made to the council, you are not satisfied with the response, theLocal Government Ombudsman (opens new window) may be able to help.
• Complaints about a parish council should be made in the first instance through its own complaints procedure. A parish council has a duty to have a complaints policy or procedure and to make it available to the public.
• If your complaint about a district or parish council relates to the availability of information and it is not forthcoming, then you have the right to question this under the Freedom of Information Act. Further information on your rights under the Freedom of Information Act are available fromInformation Commissioners Office (opens new window) 
• If you are specifically concerned about the handling of finances at a parish or district council, you also have the right to complain to the Audit Commission.

A complainant will be required to provide their name, a contact address and, where possible, an email address. This is so that the complaint can be acknowledged and the complainant kept informed of progress.

The Monitoring Officer does not normally investigate anonymous complaints, unless there is a clear public interest in doing so.