It is important that the public and organisations in our district have confidence in local democracy, and in those of our community who have been elected or appointed to serve on our local councils.
In this regard, the district council and all parish and town councils in the area have adopted a Code of Conduct, setting out how councillors should behave.
Our councillors are expected to live up to high standards of behaviour and demonstrating that they do so underpins public confidence in local democracy.
The Governance Committee has a statutory responsibility for promoting high standards in local councillors, which it does through training and assisting councillors in their understanding of the Code of Conduct and Principles of Standards in Public Life.
The council's Monitoring Officer works with the Governance Committee and, along with the Governance Committee, has the responsibility for investigating and deciding on allegations that a councillor's behaviour may have breached the Code of Conduct. If a breach is found, the remedy will vary depending on the circumstances, but it could include a censure or a request to undergo training or issue an apology.
The committee is made up of nine councillors. One other important aspect of the ethical framework in the area is the Independent Person. This is a person appointed by the council to give a view on any complaints before a final decision is taken. The appointed person is completely independent from the council and is selected after a public advertisement.
There are links below to the following:
- North Devon Council Code of Conduct (pdf)
- Formal remedies imposed (pdf 6kb)
To provide feedback or make a complaint about the behaviour of a councillor, please fill in the online form below.
Complaints against District, Town and Parish Councillors
Alternatively, you can write to the Council's Monitoring Officer, Simon Fuller at North Devon Council, PO Box 379, Barnstaple, EX32 2GR. Please note that the Council will only allow anonymous complaints if there are exceptional compelling reasons why they could be accepted without detriment to the process and where the allegation can be evidenced without reference to you as a complainant. Where you wish to submit an anonymous complaint, please email monitoringofficer@northdevon.gov.uk with reasons as to why.