Purpose of the report
The purpose of this report is to present a summary of the Code of Conduct Complaints, complaints about Members (Councillors) made to Bassetlaw District Council between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025.
Information and background
Bassetlaw District Council has adopted the Local Government Association (LGA) Model Councillor Code of Conduct ensuring the principles of fairness, proportionality, transparency and impartiality apply.
In line with the LGA Guidance on Member Model Code of Conduct Complaint Handling, ‘It is vital that the public has confidence in the high standards of local government, and that there is transparency about the conduct of councillors and the mechanisms for dealing with alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct’.
‘Under the Model Code of Conduct, councillors are required to cooperate with any Code of Conduct investigation and respect the impartiality of officers. This is in recognition of the key role monitoring officers have in ensuring what might be contentious and difficult issues are handled fairly.’
Context
Bassetlaw District Council is committed to high standards of excellence in public service. The LGA states:
‘More than 100,000 people give their time as councillors. The majority do so with the very best motives, and they conduct themselves in a way that is beyond reproach. However, public perception tends to focus on a minority who in some way abuse their positions or behave badly.
Even where behaviour does fall short most issues are resolved easily through a simple apology or through swift action from an officer, a political group or meeting chair. Reference to the Code of Conduct and a formal complaint are very much the last resort where issues remain unresolved.’
The 7 Principles of Public Life and the associated standards expected (The Nolan Principles) are: Honesty, integrity, objectivity, accountability, selflessness, openness and leadership.
Under Section 28 of the Localism Act 2011 the Council has a duty to ensure that it has appointed at least one Independent Person who is consulted before it makes a decision on an allegation it has determined to investigate. The Council’s appointed Independent Person is consulted on all complaints made to the Monitoring Officer at several key stages throughout the process.
The Monitoring Officer is a statutory post and in Bassetlaw rests with the Interim Head of Legal & Governance. The Monitoring Officer has a key role in promoting and maintaining standards of conduct. The Monitoring Officer also has a statutory responsibility to establish and maintain a register of interests for members and co-opted members of the authority. The Monitoring Officer acts as legal adviser to the Standards Committee, which is a sub-committee of Audit & Governance Committee.
Statistics and data for 2024/25
During the period 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, the total of Code of Conduct complaints administered by the Monitoring Officer is 35.
These are broken down as follows:
- District: 28
- Parish: 7
- Total: 35
Data is also collated in terms of whether the complainant is a fellow Councillor, member of the public or ‘other’ such as a Parish Clerk or officer for example as follows:
- Complaint made by a Parish/Town Councillor about another councillor: Zero
- Complaint made by a member of the public about a Parish/Town Councillor: 6
- Complaints made by a District Councillor about another District Councillor: 15
- Complaints made by a County Councillor about a District Councillor: 6
- Complaint made by a member of the public about a District Councillor: 8
Complaint outcomes
| Outcome | Number |
|---|---|
| Potential breach - no further action not in public interest | 3 |
| No further action - not acting in an official capacity | 9 |
| Informal resolution (includes proven breaches whereby apology is deemed an acceptable resolution) | 10 |
| Matter ongoing investigation by external investigator | 1 |
| No further action - lacks sufficient evidence not in public interests to investigate | 3 |
| No further action - no breach of the code | 5 |
| No further action - outside scope | 4 |
Categories (nature / reason for complaint)
| Nature / reason for complaint | Number |
|---|---|
| Disrepute, bullying, harassment and discrimination | 11 |
| Disrepute, honesty, integrity, respect | 7 |
| Reputation | 11 |
| General conduct | 2 |
| Confidentiality and access to information | 4 |
Cost of investigators
2 of the complaints have been particularly complex that they have been recommended for independent external investigation. The cumulative cost to the Council for these investigations is £3,621.60. It should however be noted that an existing matter remains ongoing and it is therefore expected there may be some additional associated costs reflected in the 2025-2026 report relating to this matter.
Accessibility
Online forms are available on the Council’s website for those wishing to make a complaint about a councillor digitally, enabling all the appropriate and relevant information to be received as early as possible, ensuring an efficient and effective service delivery of code of conduct complaints. Alternatively, the Monitoring Officer may be contacted in writing, by e-mail or telephone, ensuring the process is accessible and fit for purpose for all and does not discriminate against those that do not have the means to contact the Council via the online form.
Confidentiality and anonymity
Complaints about councillors are treated in the strictest of confidence at all times. In addition, anyone wishing to log a complaint about a councillor and remain anonymous may request this at the time of logging their complaint. However, it should be noted that ‘exceptional circumstances’ only will permit anonymity of the complainant. Therefore, reasons for remaining anonymous should be provided to the Monitoring Officer to assess if the exceptional circumstances apply.
Learning from complaints
Whilst the Code of Conduct complaints procedure remains accessible to all and involves invoking a robust and comprehensive procedure to address serious breaches of the code of conduct, it should be noted as referred earlier in this report:
‘Even where behaviour does fall short most issues are resolved easily through a simple apology or through swift action from an officer, a political group or meeting chair. Reference to the Code of Conduct and a formal complaint are very much the last resort where issues remain unresolved.'
In light of the above, the Council must therefore balance the fundamental need for upholding excellent standards in public life, with that of the potential strain on resources and the public purse that can be brought about by excessive and repetitive issues of a minor nature, or from complainants that may be persistent and challenging.
Members are given Code of Conduct training as part of their initial induction, which occurs post-election. The Monitoring Officer is willing to offer ad-hoc training to any individual member who may require refresher training or identifies any specific training needs.
Complaint handling, training and developments
As part of the Council’s continued commitment to good complaint handling, the Monitoring Officer will ensure that Members feel fully supported in their role with the delivery of appropriate training and the provision of any ad-hoc additional training where appropriate to do so.
In addition, the LGA provides a series of councillor Workbooks covering key topics, from chairing skills to stress management and personal resilience.
Equality opportunities monitoring
The Monitoring Officer is committed in ensuring we provide good service to all parts of the community, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, marital status or disability.
Gifts and hospitality
Gifts and Hospitality acceptance rules and procedures are incorporated into the Code of Conduct.
Officers are also subject to restrictions on those Gifts and Hospitality that are deemed to be acceptable under the Officers’ Code of Conduct, which is set out in the Gifts and Hospitality Policy which is incorporated into Part 6 of the Constitution.
The intention of the rules governing Gifts and Hospitality are in place to ensure that the Council can demonstrate that no undue influence has been applied or could be said to have been applied by any service user, supplier or anyone else dealing with the Council and its stewardship of public funds. The rules therefore set out the obligations imposed to declare relevant gifts and hospitality which have been offered to or received by them.
It should be noted that in addition to the risk that there could be a perception of impropriety, the acceptance of a gift or hospitality could amount to an offence under the Bribery Act 2010. The Bribery Act 2010 creates a number of offences where a gift or other benefit is given or offered, which may amount to an offence of bribing another person, and/or of being bribed. Therefore, if Members or Officers are offered a ‘gift’ or other benefit by a third party, this could amount to an offence not just by the person offering the gift, but also by the Member or Officer concerned and by the Council. It is important to note that offences under this legislation can be committed by a person offering a gift or reward, even if the gift is not accepted.
In view of the above, it is very important to understand the potentially serious implications of accepting gifts when it is not appropriate to do so.
All members declarations of gifts and hospitality can be viewed on the individual members ModGov page.
There were 15 declarations made during 2024/25 in relation to Officers. The vast majority of gifts received were small token gifts or linked to events such as award ceremony meals for example, with the total value of gifts declared being less than £350.
UK General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
Any personal details or information obtained in order to appropriately process code of conduct complaints in line with the procedure will be stored securely and will only be used for the purposes as intended to conclude the procedure, in conjunction with the GDPR principles.
Governance, openness and transparency
Code of Conduct complaint information data (anonymised) is reported by the Council’s Monitoring Officer routinely to the Council’s Corporate Governance Working Group (CGWG). The CGWG is chaired by the Council’s Director of Corporate Resources and the minutes are shared with the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council along with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Audit and Governance Committee.
The Code of Conduct Annual Report is to be considered by the Audit & Governance (A & G) Committee and recommended for publishing on the Council’s Open data web-site if agreeable by the A & G Committee.
Corporate values
The Council has adopted the following core values that are embedded within the organisational culture driving forward improved services for all:
- Together, we can do more
- Everyone Counts
- Open and Honest
- Aspirational
- Service Excellence
Good governance of the Code of Conduct complaints positively responds to the overarching core values of the organisation. The Code of Conduct Procedure will be invoked by the Monitoring Officer and in conjunction with the Independent Person where appropriate to do so in ensuring that member conduct meets with the required standards of serving in public office.
Best practice guidance
The Council’s Monitoring Officer is responsible in ensuring that the Council upholds excellent standards in public life. The Council will positively respond to this by the effective use of the code of conduct complaints procedure, including seeking the professional advice of the Independent Person (IP) and by keeping abreast of legal case studies and best practice guidance, along with learning from others as part of MO link officer meetings. Member training will be delivered as part of this, both for new members, and whereby it is recognised as part of any Code of Conduct Complaint handling and/or investigations that may become indicative that additional training is required.
Background supporting documents
Last Updated on Friday, January 9, 2026