What is the code of conduct?
Wirral Council has adopted a code of conduct to promote and maintain high standards of conduct and underpin public confidence in the authority and its members and co-opted members.
The code sets out general obligations about the standards of conduct expected of members and co-opted members of the authority, together with provisions about registering and declaring interests. It has been adopted under section 27 of the Localism Act 2011 and is required, when viewed as a whole, to be consistent with the following general principles of conduct identified by the Committee on Standards in Public Life as set out in Appendix 1: selflessness, integrity, objectivity, accountability, openness, honesty and leadership.
Breaching the code of conduct
Complaints alleging that councillors have breached their Code of Conduct must be made to the Monitoring Officer who will carry out a preliminary assessment and evaluation of the complaint.
The Preliminary Assessment and Evaluation carried out by the Monitoring Officer must take into account the views of an Independent Person and the public interest in carrying out an investigation. An Independent Person is someone who has applied for the position following advertisement of the position by the council but is not a Councillor.
The Monitoring Officer will then decide whether any action should be taken and if the matter should be referred to the Standards Panel.
What should I include when making a complaint?
The online process below will provide prompts to say which councillor you are complaining about and why you think they are in breach of the Code of Conduct. Include as much information as possible to support your complaint, including any documents which you would like us to consider.
How will my complaint be dealt with?
If the Monitoring Officer after having had regard to the views of the Independent Person finds that your complaint is valid, he or she must determine how the complaint should be addressed. This can range from no action to a full formal independent investigation.
Where a Standards Complaint has been referred for investigation and the Investigator has found a breach of the Code of Conduct the matter will be referred to the Standards Panel.
If you would like further information or to discuss the matter with the Monitoring Officer or Deputy Monitoring Officer, before making a formal complaint please email philipmccourt@wirral.gov.uk
Make a complaint
To make a complaint about any member of Wirral Council, please complete the online form below:
Or write to:
The Monitoring Officer, Philip McCourt
Wirral Council
Canning Street
Birkenhead
Wirral
CH41 1ND