The Standards Assessment Board of County Durham Council met on Monday 11 May 2026 to consider updates on ongoing complaints received under the Code of Conduct for Members. The meeting was scheduled to discuss the status of various complaints.

Code of Conduct Complaints Update

The Board was scheduled to receive an update on complaints alleging breaches of the Code of Conduct for Members. This report, prepared by Helen Bradley, Director of Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer, covers the period since the Board's meeting on 2 April 2026. The Council has a duty under section 27 of the Localism Act 2011¹ to promote and maintain high standards of conduct among its members. The report details the progress of complaints, including those that have been considered, those awaiting further information, and those at the pre-assessment stage.

The report was expected to indicate the status of complaints, with some potentially resulting in no further action or being suitable for informal resolution. It was also anticipated that some complaints might have been treated as withdrawn due to a lack of necessary information from the complainant, while others might have been rejected for not engaging the Code of Conduct.

A significant number of complaints were scheduled for consideration by the Board on 11 May 2026. These included:

• Complaint Reference FS-Case-826324814: This complaint was scheduled for consideration by the Board on 11 May 2026.
• Complaint Reference FS-Case-826120629: This complaint was also scheduled for consideration by the Board on 11 May 2026.

The report also noted that some meetings of the Board scheduled for April 2026 had to be adjourned due to being inquorate², with some of these adjourned meetings reconvened to take place immediately following the 11 May meeting.

The Board was asked to note the report, which provides an update on the status of complaints to ensure they are being assessed within the required timescales. The Council's Procedure for Member Code of Conduct Complaints, agreed in October 2025, outlines that the Standards Assessment Board, in consultation with the Monitoring Officer, should consider and decide on action for complaints normally within 20 working days of receipt.