The Standards Assessment Board of County Durham Council met on 1 December 2025 to discuss updates on code of conduct complaints and to consider one specific complaint. The board was scheduled to review the updates in an open session, while the specific complaint was slated for discussion in a closed session due to its confidential nature.

Code of Conduct Complaints Update

A report by Helen Bradley, Director of Legal and Democratic Services, provided an update on the code of conduct complaints received by Durham County Council since the adoption of the new Procedure for Member Code of Conduct Complaints on 1 November 2025.

The report noted that between 1 November 2025 and 19 November 2025, 14 code of conduct complaints had been received. Of these, 10 were rejected because they did not engage the code of conduct. As of 1 December 2025, one complaint was before the Standards Assessment Board for consideration, and three complaints were scheduled to be assessed on 8 January 2026.

The report also mentioned that the procedure would incorporate a provision for a co-opted member of the Standards Committee to attend a meeting of the Standards Assessment Board when a complaint about a town or parish councillor is to be heard. One such complaint against a parish councillor was scheduled to be presented to the Standards Assessment Board for consideration on 8 January 2026, following the appointment of co-opted members at Full Council on 10 December 2025.

The report recommended that:

The Standards Assessment Board is asked to note the report.

The report also included a table summarising the complaints received, their status, and the target date for assessment by the Standards Assessment Board.

Consideration of Complaint Reference FS-Case-764185102

The agenda included consideration of Complaint Reference FS-Case-764185102. This was listed under Part B of the agenda, indicating that the discussion was expected to be held in a session not open to the public, due to the consideration of exempt or confidential information. The report related to this complaint was provided by Helen Bradley, Director of Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer.