The Dacorum Council Standards Committee is scheduled to meet to review the complaints received and processed during 2024/25, and to discuss the council's Standards Complaints Procedure. The committee will also note the government's consultation on local government standards.

Standards Complaints 2024/25

The Standards Committee is expected to receive a summary of standards complaints from the previous municipal year. According to the agenda frontsheet, this information can be found on pages 2-21 of the Standards Agenda 2025 - Complaints summary 002.

The report pack states that there were 18 complaints received during 2024/25, one of which was reported and determined by the Standards Committee. As of the time of writing the report, five complaints were still being investigated, and so details of those complaints have been omitted from the report.

The report pack includes a table summarising the complaints, excluding active cases, and their outcomes, categorised by whether the complaint related to a borough, town, or parish councillor. Examples of complaints include:

• A complaint about a disrespectful comment to a staff member, which resulted in an apology and advice from the Monitoring Officer.
• A complaint about an inappropriate Facebook post, which was deemed outside the scope of the Code of Conduct as it concerned national politics from a private account.
• A complaint from a member of the public about inappropriate interference with a planning application and failure to declare an interest, which resulted in no evidence being found to support a breach of the code of conduct.
• A complaint from a council employee regarding the disclosure of confidential information by a town councillor, which was not upheld as the information disclosed was not deemed confidential.
• A complaint from a councillor about a comment made in full council, which was considered part of reasonable political debate and required no further action.
• A complaint regarding inappropriate behaviour towards other councillors, which was determined by the Standards Committee on 12 September 2024.
• A complaint regarding inappropriate use of a parking space, which resulted in clarification being given to all parties on the right to use the space, and an apology given.

Standards Procedure Review

The committee will have the opportunity to discuss the current Standards Complaints Procedure and consider any areas they would like to be reviewed. The report pack states that it is good practice to keep the procedure under review.

The current procedure involves the Monitoring Officer, Mark Brookes, or Deputy Monitoring Officer, considering complaints in consultation with the Council's Independent Person. Complaints are assessed against criteria set out in the Standards Complaints Procedure to determine whether they merit no further action, further investigation, or referral to the Standards Committee. The Monitoring Officer may seek independent advice and investigation from external standards complaints specialists if required.

The procedure aims to filter out less serious complaints, and the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the Independent Person, has the discretion to seek informal resolution, such as an apology or other remedial action.

Government Consultation

The committee will note the recent government consultation on local government standards, which proposed several key reforms to strengthen the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England.

The consultation covered the following areas:

• Mandatory Minimum Code of Conduct: A standardised code of conduct for all local authorities.
• Formal Standards Committees: Requirement for all principal authorities to convene formal standards committees.
• Powers of Suspension: Empowering local authorities to suspend councillors or mayors for serious breaches of the code of conduct.
• Disqualification for Repeat Offenders: Councillors suspended more than once within a five-year period could face disqualification for five years.
• National Appeals Body: A national body to handle appeals.
• Empowering Victims: Measures to encourage victims affected by councillor misconduct to come forward and provide additional support.

The Chair of Standards Committee, Councillor Jonathan Gale, and the Monitoring Officer, Mark Brookes, separately responded to the consultation. At the time of writing the report, there is no timetable set out from the government for publishing their response to the consultation or any recommendations. Members will be updated as soon as this is available.