The Standards Assessment Board of Durham County Council is scheduled to meet on Friday 30 January 2026. The meeting will consider updates on code of conduct complaints received by the council and will also discuss several specific complaint references.

Code of Conduct Complaints Update

The Board is scheduled to receive an update on complaints received by Durham County Council under the Code of Conduct for Members. This report, prepared by Helen Bradley, Director of Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer, will provide information on ongoing complaints and those that have been completed since the last meeting on 8 January 2026. The report notes 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. The council must also have arrangements in place to consider allegations of breaches of the Code of Conduct for its own members and for members of town and parish councils. The report indicates a significant increase in complaints received since the May elections, with most originating from members of the public and not involving breaches of the Code of Conduct. The report also mentions that a new Procedure for Member Code of Conduct Complaints was agreed by the Standards Committee on 15 October 2025 and became effective from 1 November 2025.

Specific Complaint References

The meeting is also scheduled to consider several specific complaint references. These include FS-Case-FS-Case-764985099, FS-Case-767485055, FS-Case-770072560, FS-Case-763200402, and FS-Case-770701488. These matters are listed under Part B of the agenda, indicating that the public and press will be excluded from these discussions due to the likely disclosure of exempt or confidential information. Reports from the Deputy Monitoring Officer are associated with these complaint references.