The Standards Assessment Sub-Committee of Wiltshire Council met on Thursday 05 December 2024 to determine whether to take action in response to a complaint against a parish councillor. The meeting also received an update on the status of a previously considered complaint.

Assessment of Complaint: COC50363

The Standards Assessment Sub-Committee considered a complaint against Councillor John Dalley, a councillor on Rowde Parish Council, submitted by Mr Shane Skelhorn. The complaint alleged that Councillor Dalley had breached the Code of Conduct for Parish Councillors by:

1. Behaving in a way that a reasonable person would not regard as respectful.
2. Acting in a way that a reasonable person would regard as bullying or intimidatory.
3. Seeking to improperly confer a disadvantage on another person.
4. Disclosing information that is confidential.

The complaint alleged that Councillor Dalley had shouted at Mr Skelhorn, made reference to a private legal matter, and threatened to release his address. It also alleges that Councillor Dalley prevented Mr Skelhorn from using a water tap at the Rowde Parish Council allotment site, while allowing others to use it freely.

Councillor Dalley denied the allegations, stating that Mr Skelhorn had approached him in an aggressive manner. He stated that he did not prevent Mr Skelhorn from using the water tap, but had advised him to be careful as there was a hole in the ground. Councillor Dalley said that he was not acting in his capacity as a Councillor at the time of the incident, but as a private citizen.

The Sub-Committee agreed that it was reasonable for it to be perceived that the Subject Member was acting in their official capacity of an elected member during the alleged incident, as the Subject Member was in attendance to oversee the water tap repair work being carried out by the Subject Member’s brother, work which had been commissioned by the parish council. In addition, during the exchange between the Complainant and the Subject Member, Parish Council business was referred to by the Subject Member.

The sub-committee decided not to take any further action, as it was unlikely that there was enough evidence to reach a conclusion on the facts of what took place.

Update on Complaint: COC150777

The sub-committee received an update on a complaint (COC150777) that had previously been referred for investigation. The complaint has been resolved following an alternative resolution process overseen by the Monitoring Officer¹.