To enable the committee to be assured that high standards of conduct continue to be promoted and maintained. To provide an overview of how the arrangements for dealing with complaints are working together.

The Committee received an update on Code of Conduct complaints and investigation arrangements for 2025/26 (to March 2026). The following principal points were noted:

1. 51 Code of Conduct complaints were received during the reporting period, compared to a typical annual average of around 30.
2. 24 complaints arose from 3 complaints against groups of members, contributing significantly to the increase.
3. To improve efficiency, complaints involving groups of members were now managed collectively rather than investigated individually, reducing the impact on officer and member time.
4. 1 complaint was received against a Herefordshire councillor, which was not upheld.
5. 25% of complaints were submitted by parish and town councillors against other parish and town councillors and it was reiterated from previous years that most complaints could have been resolved locally through internal procedures.
6. Of the parish and town council complaints received, only 1 progressed to a formal investigation during the current year. Over the last 3 years, only 3 of 35 complaints from this category had required formal investigation.
7. The councils generating the highest number of complaints during the year were Ross Town Council, Kings Caple and Ledbury Town Council.
8. Of the 51 complaints received, 4 proceeded to full investigation, with breaches found. The remaining complaints were closed following initial assessment, either due to insufficient evidence or because the member concerned had accepted fault and taken corrective action, such as issuing an apology.
9. The increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in drafting complaints were highlighted.
10. Following Council approval of the Committee’s recommendation to adopt a voluntary local resolution process, parish and town councils were notified, 4 councils had requested the template and support, while 2 councils had indicated they did not intend to adopt the process.
11. It was suggested that focus should be given to supporting the councils that voluntarily adopted the local resolution processes and on councils generating higher complaint volumes, rather than undertaking a universal awareness campaign across all parish and town councils.
12. The introduction of the government’s national code of conduct framework was noted, with indications that local resolution arrangements may become a mandatory component, although further details were awaited.
13. The Committee were invited to consider options for encouraging greater uptake of local resolution processes and to explore the reasons why some councils remain reluctant to adopt them.

The principal points of the subsequent discussion are summarised below:

1. Efforts should be focused on councils that repeatedly generated higher numbers of complaints, rather than adopting a countywide approach.
2. An earlier proposal for ward councillors to assist with local resolution had not gained support, as many ward councillors were reluctant to become involved in disputes within parish councils.
3. It was confirmed that around a dozen councils had requested copies of the local resolution template since it was first proposed, indicating some appetite for the approach.
4. There should be further engagement with HALC (Herefordshire Association of Local Councils) to better understand its concerns and reasons for opposing the proposal.
5. Members suggested that successful examples of local resolution could be shared at future Parish Council Summits to demonstrate the benefits of the approach and encourage wider adoption.
6. There was willingness to engage directly with parish councils where appropriate, although previous experience suggested such discussions did not always lead to positive outcomes.
7. It was clarified that all parish and town councils had already been informed that template documentation was available. Councils had been invited to request the documents, and those that responded had been sent the information.
8. The Head of Legal services agreed to analyse complaint trends, focus resources where they would have the greatest impact, and report back to the committee with the outcomes of the engagement work.

Resolved

That the committee noted the update on the Code of Conduct complaints arrangements in respect to the year-end 2025/26; that Council had agreed changes to the arrangements allowing Local Resolution; and agreed that; there be further engagement with HALC to discuss its reservations and identify whether barriers to adoption can be overcome, continue support for councils that had requested local resolution documentation, to write to councils that had generated the highest numbers of complaints to offer support and encourage adoption of local resolution arrangements and to seek feedback from councils that have declined to participate in order to understand and address their concerns.