The Standards Committee met to discuss complaints handling and ethical standards, and to review the annual letter from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO). The committee agreed to continue monitoring waste service complaints, requested more information on invoicing and payments, and asked for clarification on statistics in the LGSCO report. Additionally, the committee agreed to extend restrictions on an individual under the Unreasonable Customer Behaviour Policy.

Unreasonable Customer Behaviour Policy

The committee agreed to extend restrictions imposed on an individual under the council's Unreasonable Customer Behaviour Policy for a further two years. The Monitoring Officer will review the declaration at six, 12 and 18-month intervals, consulting with the Chair of the Standards Committee at the 12-month review. The Unreasonable Customer Behaviour Policy is used by Cornwall Council to manage individuals who display behaviour that is abusive, offensive or intimidating towards council staff or councillors¹.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) Annual Review Letter

The committee reviewed the LGSCO's Annual Review Letter for 2024-2025, noting that the format of the report had changed from previous years.

Key points raised:

• The report stated that, adjusted for Cornwall Council's population, there were 8.5 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents , which was considered a poor performance compared to similar authorities, where the average was 5.3 per 100,000 residents.
• Only 4% of cases saw a satisfactory remedy provided before the complaint reached the LGSCO, compared to an average of 10% in similar authorities.
• The LGSCO upheld 88% of complaints that were investigated, compared to 80% in similar authorities.

Committee members raised concerns that the statistics were provided without sufficient quantification and detail, making it difficult to make meaningful comparisons. Councillor Loveday Jenkin, Chair of the Standards Committee, agreed to write to the LGSCO to request further detail and clarification on the statistics provided in the report. The committee also requested more information on communications around charges to identify areas for improvement.

The LGSCO is an independent body that investigates complaints about councils and other organisations providing local services in England².

Ethical Standards Complaints

The committee reviewed the Ethical Standards Complaints Report for Quarter 2, 2025-2026. The report provided an overview of the number and nature of complaints received against Cornwall Councillors and Town and Parish Councillors.

Key points raised:

• There were 34 complaints received in Q2, compared to 31 in the same period last year.
• 12 complaints (35%) related to Cornwall Councillors, and 22 (65%) related to Town and Parish Councillors.

• The most frequently cited paragraphs of the Code of Conduct in the complaints were:

  • You must maintain high standards of conduct (26 instances)
  • You must treat others with respect (20 instances)
  • You must not bring your office into disrepute (17 instances)

A member queried whether the high number of complaints was due to Town/Parish Councils applying their own interpretations in respect of the Code of Conduct. In response it was advised that all decision notices were published online so that people could see when a breach had and had not arisen.

The committee noted that all Cornwall Councillors had undertaken the Code of Conduct training.

Organisational Complaints Report

The committee reviewed the Organisational Complaints Report, which provides an overview of complaints received by the council and how they have been handled.

Key points raised:

• There had been an increase in symbolic payments since the same quarter in the previous year, primarily for Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) payments. Members agreed that this was an issue that needed to be monitored.
• A member commented that the symbolic payments should be challenged as they did not consider that money could compensate for loss of education. In response it was advised that authorities were also required to ensure that the young person received educational provision afterwards. The Service had tried to challenge some decisions by the LGSCO but had been unsuccessful.
• It was commented that compensation should be used for educational purposes only. The Head of Governance, Elections and Democratic Services advised that he would follow up with the Service on that point.
• Customer Services complaints workshops had been run in conjunction with the LGSCO, covering how to deal with complaints and avoid situations resulting in complaints.
• The committee agreed to continue monitoring complaints for waste services, with a review at the next meeting.
• Further information was requested in respect of invoicing/payments to determine if the council could improve the way that these were communicated with customers.