The Standards Committee of Kent Council is scheduled to convene on Wednesday, 29 April 2026. The meeting's agenda includes an update on the standards regime and member complaints, as well as a review of previous meeting minutes.

Standards Regime and Member Complaints Update

A report is scheduled to be presented to the committee regarding the formal complaints received under the Kent Code of Member Conduct. This report aims to provide an update on complaints and other information relevant to the council's ethical framework.

The report indicates that between 6 May 2025 and the end of March 2026, a total of 85 member complaints were received, averaging almost 8 per month. The highest number of complaints in a single month was 18 in October 2025. Complaints made by Members against other Members constitute 40% of all complaints received, a figure that rose to 72% in the first three months of 2026. Of the 85 complaints, 81 (95%) have been closed or resolved informally, with 4 (5%) remaining under review. The primary areas leading to complaints are identified as comments made by Members on social media, behaviour and comments during formal council meetings, and the use of council resources.

The report also notes that a new Independent Person, Michael Turner, began his role on 1 March 2026. The Independent Person provides advice and objectivity during the handling of complaints. The council intends to recruit a second Independent Person to ensure resilience. Furthermore, following a public consultation, the government announced plans on 11 November 2025 to introduce significant changes to the standards and conduct framework for local authorities in England. The committee will be informed of a clear timetable for these changes and will make plans to update the code of conduct as necessary. The committee is asked to discuss the report and make recommendations on actions that could be taken to reduce the number of member complaints.

Minutes of the Meeting held on 15 October 2025

The committee is scheduled to review the minutes from its previous meeting held on 15 October 2025. The minutes from that meeting indicate that the Deputy Chief Executive and Monitoring Officer, Benjamin Watts, delivered a presentation covering good governance, revisions to the Members' Code of Conduct, emerging themes, enforcement and education, and future suggestions for the committee. During that meeting, it was noted that the level of complaints against Members had increased compared to similar periods, though the number remained less than other local authorities. Mr. Watts suggested that Members would benefit from open conversations about agenda items and work programming, and that the committee could create a Standards Working Party Group to discuss member training, development, and awareness of the Members' Code of Conduct.

The attendees for the 29 April 2026 meeting are listed as Maxwell Harrison, Richard Palmer (Vice Chair), Ryan Waters, John Moreland, Robert Ford, Nigel Williams, and Wayne Chapman.