The Standards Assessment Board of County Durham Council is scheduled to meet on Monday, 1 December 2025, to discuss updates on code of conduct complaints and to consider a specific complaint. The meeting will be held in two parts, with the first part open to the public and the press, and the second part held in private to discuss confidential information.

Here are the topics that are scheduled to be discussed in the meeting:

Code of Conduct Complaints

The Standards Assessment Board is expected to receive an update on the code of conduct complaints received by Durham County Council since the adoption of the new Procedure for Member Code of Conduct Complaints on 1 November 2025.

According to the report pack, between 1 November 2025 and 19 November 2025, the council received 14 code of conduct complaints. Of these, 10 were rejected because they did not engage the Code of Conduct. As of the meeting date, one complaint is scheduled to be before the Standards Assessment Board for consideration, and three complaints are scheduled to be assessed at a meeting on 8 January 2026.

The report pack states that the Procedure for Member Code of Conduct Complaints includes a provision for a co-opted member of the Standards Committee to attend a meeting of the Standards Assessment Board when a complaint about a town or parish councillor is to be heard. The report pack notes that the council has received one complaint against a parish councillor which will be presented to the Standards Assessment Board for consideration on 8 January 2026, following the appointment of co-opted members at Full Council on 10 December 2025.

The report to be presented to the Standards Assessment Board includes a table summarising the complaints received between 1 November 2025 and 19 November 2025, including the date the complaint was received, the complaint reference number, the status of the complaint, and the target date for assessment by the Standards Assessment Board.

The report pack states that the council has a duty under section 27 of the Localism Act 2011¹ to promote and maintain high standards of conduct by its members and co-opted members and to adopt a Code of Conduct that is consistent with the Nolan Principles². The council is also required to have arrangements in place to consider allegations about breaches of the Codes of Conduct for Members.

Members' failure to comply with the Code can be an issue of concern to local communities and result in a perception of poor governance. This could affect the reputation of the Council. The Council therefore maintains an open and transparent process for making complaints against members. Information and guidance on the process for making such complaints is clearly signposted and accessible on the Council's website.

Complaint Reference FS-Case-764185102

The Standards Assessment Board is scheduled to move to a private session to discuss Complaint Reference FS-Case-764185102. The report relating to this complaint is not available to the public because it contains exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972[^4].