The Governance, Ethics and Standards Committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday 17 September 2026 to discuss a range of important governance matters. Key topics include a review of customer feedback and complaints, proposed changes to the council's constitution regarding planning decisions, and annual reports on whistleblowing and councillor conduct.

Customer Feedback, Compliments, and Complaints Review

The committee is set to review a combined report for 2025/26 concerning customer feedback, compliments, and complaints, alongside the annual review letter from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman¹. This report summarises complaint and compliment volumes, response times, and key themes, drawing on eight years of trend data. In 2025/26, Derbyshire County Council received 2,214 complaints, an increase of 18.9% from the previous year. The report details that 21.1% of these complaints were upheld or partially upheld. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman received 203 complaints and enquiries about Derbyshire County Council in the year ending 31 March 2026, with 52 of these being upheld following detailed investigations. The report also highlights that financial remuneration totalling £79,838 was paid in relation to upheld complaints, with a significant portion related to Children's Services and SEND².

Changes to Constitution for Planning Decisions

A significant item on the agenda concerns proposed changes to the council's constitution to comply with the national scheme of delegation for planning decisions, as mandated by the Town and Country Planning (Discharge of Local Planning Authority Functions) (England) Regulations 2026³. These regulations, effective from 31 October 2026, place restrictions on which planning applications can be determined by a committee, requiring many to be decided by officers. The report outlines the need to revise the council's arrangements to align with these regulations, which introduce categories of applications that must be determined by officers (Schedule 1), those with a presumption of officer determination subject to referral criteria (Schedule 2), and applications where the council or its members/officers have an interest (Own Interest Applications). The proposed amendments aim to ensure continued member involvement in significant planning decisions where legally permitted, maintain transparency, and uphold democratic oversight.

Annual Whistleblowing Report

The committee will receive the Annual Whistleblowing Report for 2025/26. This report provides an overview of whistleblowing concerns brought to the attention of the Monitoring Officer⁴ between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2026. During this period, 68 referrals were recorded, with 9 falling within the Whistleblowing Policy. The report details the nature of these concerns, which included fraud and financial wrongdoing, environmental issues, and breaches of policy. It also notes an amendment made to the Whistleblowing Policy to explicitly include 'sexual harassment' as a qualifying disclosure, following a change in legislation via the Employment Rights Act 2025⁵.

Complaints Against Councillors

The committee is to be informed of complaints received against councillors pursuant to the Code of Conduct for Elected Members⁶ for the period of 13 February 2026 to 31 August 2026. The report indicates that 13 complaints were received during this period. Of these, 4 were rejected, 5 were withdrawn, and 2 were resolved through informal resolution or where the councillor had remedied the issue. Two complaints remain in progress. The report also provides historical data on the number of complaints received since 2021, showing an increase in recent years.

Councillor Attendance at Meetings

The committee will consider statistics on councillor attendance at meetings during the 2025-26 period. Out of 1,025 expected attendances across all councillors, 872 were recorded, resulting in an average attendance rate of 85%. The report notes that while the average attendance is similar to the previous year, there are a number of members whose attendance falls significantly below the average. However, it concludes that there is no cause for concern regarding member development or the effectiveness of the political structure, as no members have been disqualified due to failing to attend meetings for six consecutive months, and no meetings were cancelled due to a lack of quorum.

Register of Gifts and Hospitality

Finally, the committee will review the Register of Gifts and Hospitality for the period 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. For employees, 415 offers of gifts and hospitality were reported, with an estimated value of £7,066.33. For elected members, 16 offers were reported, with an estimated value of £502. The report highlights areas for improvement, including ensuring all offers are reported separately, clearly identifying the source of the offer, and addressing instances where monetary gifts or gift vouchers were accepted, which contravenes the Code of Conduct. Process improvements have been implemented with a new Granicus form to enhance clarity, robustness, and data quality.