The Standards Assessment Board of County Durham Council is scheduled to convene on Monday 11 May 2026. The meeting's agenda includes an update on code of conduct complaints and the consideration of two specific, confidential complaint cases.

Code of Conduct Complaints Update

The Board is scheduled to receive an update on complaints received by Durham County Council concerning alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct for Members. This report, prepared by Helen Bradley, Director of Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer, covers the period since the Board's meeting on 2 April 2026. The report notes that previous meetings scheduled for 17 April and 28 April 2026 had to be adjourned due to being inquorate¹.

The report details the status of various complaints. Some complaints considered at previous meetings have now had decision notices issued, with outcomes including no further action or suitability for informal resolution . Other complaints have been treated as withdrawn due to a lack of necessary information from the complainant, or have been rejected for not engaging the Code of Conduct. The report also outlines complaints received between 24 March and 29 April 2026, detailing their current assessment stage, including those awaiting further information, those at the pre-assessment stage, and those for which reports are being prepared.

The Council has a duty under section 27 of the Localism Act 2011 to promote and maintain high standards of conduct by its members. This includes adopting a Code of Conduct consistent with the Nolan Principles² and having arrangements to consider allegations of breaches. The report aims to satisfy the Board that complaints are being assessed in accordance with the established Procedure for Member Code of Conduct Complaints.

Confidential Complaint Cases

The meeting agenda also includes two items, designated as Part B, which are not open to the public. These involve the consideration of specific complaint references: FS-Case-826324814 and FS-Case-826120629. Reports for these matters have been prepared by the Director of Legal and Democratic Services and Monitoring Officer. Due to the confidential nature of these items, details regarding the specific allegations or the parties involved are not publicly available.