Decision details

External Independent Persons, Terrance Whitehead and Irene Divine were welcomed to the meeting.

Laura Sales, Monitoring Officer and Director of Corporate Services presented a summary of all complaints received in 2020 against county councillors under the Code of Conduct.

The committee was reminded that during the recent review of policies and procedures, it had been agreed that this committee would receive an annual report regarding complaints received and their resolution. The report presented demonstrated that a small number of minor complaints continued to be received. It was highlighted that it hadn't been necessary to escalate any of the complaints to the Conduct Committee. When required apologies were generally forthcoming and most complaints were dealt with informally. Fewer complaints had been received in 2020 and it was suggested that this may be in part due to the reduction in meetings due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

In response to a question it was clarified that complaints that were not a breach of the code were still logged, to support transparency for both councillors and the residents of Lancashire. The Independent Persons emphasised it was also important to log such complaints to demonstrate why some did not constitute a breach of the code.

Resolved: That the summary of complaints received in 2020, as presented, be noted.