The Standards Committee of Wiltshire Council was scheduled to meet on Thursday 16 April 2026 to discuss a status report on code of conduct complaints and proposed changes to the council's constitution. The meeting agenda also included consideration of the minutes from a previous meeting and any urgent items.

Status Report on Code of Conduct Complaints

The committee was scheduled to receive an update on the current position of code of conduct complaints received by the council. The report detailed that between 23 September 2025 and 7 April 2026, the Monitoring Officer had received 72 complaints. Of these, 26 were dismissed by the Monitoring Officer under paragraph 4.2.8 of Protocol 11, which covers complaints deemed vexatious, malicious, politically motivated, retaliatory, or those not reaching the threshold of a potential breach. A further 21 were dismissed as they related to a councillor acting in their private capacity, and 6 were dismissed due to being out of time. Three complaints were dismissed due to insufficient evidence, and three were dismissed as they related to the actions of the council as a whole rather than an individual member's conduct. One complaint was resolved through alternative resolution, three were awaiting assessment by the Monitoring Officer, two were awaiting information from parties involved, one was currently being investigated, and six had been withdrawn by the complainant.

The report indicated that no breaches of the Code of Conduct had been determined by the Monitoring Officer or Hearing Sub-Committee during the period. The average time taken to assess complaints by or on behalf of the Monitoring Officer was 3.7 working days, which was within the council's aim of 5 working days. However, complaints referred to the Assessment Sub-Committee could not always meet this timescale due to the need for scheduled meetings. No complaints had been referred for investigation by the Assessment Sub-Committee during this period, and no investigations had been completed within the target of 45 working days.

The report also highlighted that the number of code of conduct complaints received had increased, with 33 complaints against parish councillors, 16 against town councillors, 15 against unitary councillors, and 8 against city councillors. The committee was asked to note the current position on code of conduct complaints.

Proposed Changes to the Constitution

The committee was scheduled to consider proposed changes to specific sections of the Wiltshire Council Constitution. These included amendments to Part 3D (3) and Protocol 4 concerning Planning Prior Approval Notifications. Following a notice of motion approved by Full Council, wording was to be included to ensure that prior approval applications were identified in the weekly list circulated to Members, and that an information-only update would be provided promptly to the relevant Division Member(s) and relevant Parish/Town/City Council(s) upon validation of a prior approval application.

Additionally, proposed changes to Part 3B Section 7, relating to the Health and Wellbeing Board, were to be considered. The report noted that currently, only six members of the Board were voting members. Proposals recommended expanding voting rights to all other members of the Board, with the exception of Wiltshire Council officers, and also included other agreed changes to the Board's membership.

The committee was also to be informed of potential changes to Part 3B Section 2.2 and Part 3D (3) regarding Public Rights of Way committee procedure, and Part 4 of the Council Rules of Procedure. These were being considered by the Constitution Focus Group, with any further recommendations to be published as a supplement to the agenda. The committee was asked to recommend such changes as it considered appropriate to Full Council for approval.

The report stated that there were no safeguarding, public health, procurement, equalities, environmental, climate change, or workforce implications arising from these proposed constitutional changes.

Minutes of the Previous Meeting

The committee was scheduled to confirm the minutes of the Standards Committee meeting held on 2 October 2025. The minutes from that meeting indicated that the committee had noted the appointment of new Coopted Members and Independent Persons, and recorded thanks to a departing Independent Person. Apologies were received from several members. The minutes of the previous meeting held on 2 July 2025 were approved and signed as a true and correct record. There were no declarations of interest at that meeting. The Chairman had invited members to sign the Positive Conduct Charter. No public questions were submitted within the timeframe for that meeting.

The minutes from the 2 October 2025 meeting also detailed the status of code of conduct complaints received between 24 June and 22 September 2025, noting that 27 complaints had been received, with various outcomes including dismissal, resolution via alternative resolution, and awaiting assessment. The committee had resolved to note the position on code of conduct complaints.

Furthermore, the committee had received and noted the Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report 2024-25, which included an overview of complaints received by Wiltshire Council between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. The council had amended its Complaints Procedure and handling processes in October 2024 to align with the Complaint Handling Codes published by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and the Housing Ombudsman. The committee had also resolved to note actions to further improve the council's complaints handling function.

Finally, the minutes from the 2 October 2025 meeting showed that the committee had received a report summarising the Whistleblowing Policy, which provides an avenue for staff to raise concerns. The updated policy included provisions for considering disclosures made by members of the public or members. The committee had resolved to note the update and agree that an annual report summarising the number of recorded whistleblowing reports would be provided. The committee had also reviewed the Constitution and recommended that Part 6 (Budget and Policy Framework) and Protocol 3 (Outside Body Guidance) be prioritised for review by the Constitution Focus Group.