The Standards Assessment Sub-Committee of Wiltshire Council met on 11 June 2024 to review several complaints against councillors. The committee resolved to refer one complaint for investigation and decided to take no further action on two other complaints.

Assessment of Complaint: COC151643

The Sub-Committee reviewed a complaint against a member of Wiltshire Council. The initial tests of the assessment criteria were met, and the Sub-Committee considered the original complaint, supporting information, and statements from both the Subject Member and the Complainant. After discussion, the Sub-Committee resolved to refer the complaint for investigation.

Assessment of Complaint: COC151827

A complaint was submitted by Alison Lucinda McLean-Crawford regarding the conduct of Councillor Sarah Hill-Wheeler of Lydiard Millicent Parish Council. The complaint involved a disagreement over the boundary of the village green and the Complainant’s property. The Complainant alleged that Councillor Hill-Wheeler behaved aggressively and threatened legal action on behalf of the Parish Council.

The Sub-Committee noted that the Subject Member’s actions were connected to her role on the Parish Council and that her behaviour could potentially represent a breach of the Code of Conduct. However, due to the lack of impartial witnesses and the apology from the Subject Member, the Sub-Committee resolved to take no further action but advised the Subject Member to be more careful in future interactions.

Assessment of Complaint: COC150777

The Sub-Committee noted the decision of the Monitoring Officer to keep the Complainant’s details confidential. The complaint involved a member of Salisbury City Council and required further information regarding the nature of a WhatsApp group and a Facebook post reported in the media. The Sub-Committee resolved to refer the matter for investigation.

For more details, you can refer to the printed minutes of the meeting.