Complaints about Elected Members

The Government wants to address public concern, as well as promote the highest standards of conduct in local government.

The Members' Code of Conduct applies to all members of Southampton City Council and members of the public who may, from time to time, be co-opted onto Council committees. Anyone who believes that a member may have breached the Code can now write to The Standards Board for England with the details of their allegation. Once they receive the allegation and, provided it falls within their remit and meets their referral criteria, it may be passed to an Ethical Standards Officer (ESO), who will oversee its investigation. In some circumstances, the Council’s Monitoring Officer may undertaken the investigation.

The Standards Board is independent of the Government, and Ethical Standards Officers have extensive powers enabling them to investigate allegations thoroughly and impartially.

If you would like to make a complaint a copy of the complaints leaflet can be downloaded from the link on the right.

The Standards Board have produced advice as to what they will do in an investigation. You may access that by clicking the link.