Councillors complaints process

You can complain about a councillor breaking any part of their authority’s Code of Conduct when they are acting (or giving the impression they are acting) as a representative of their Council or doing Council business.

this includes:

• treating others with respect
• bullying
• intimidating a complainant or witness
• compromising the impartiality of officers
• bringing their council or office as councillor or executive member into disrepute
• disclosing information given in confidence or confidential information unless
• they have consent
• are required to do so by law
• disclosure to obtain professional advice
• disclosure is reasonable in the public interest in good faith and in compliance with reasonable requirements of the council
• using their position improperly to obtain advantage or disadvantage for anyone
• using council resources for political purposes
• preventing anyone accessing information they have a legal right to
• failing to register financial or other interests
• failing to reveal a pecuniary interest at a meeting
• failing to register any gifts or hospitality they have received in their role as a member worth over £50

If none of the above applies to your complaint it is probably not something we can deal with.

To find out if another organisation can help you contact your local Citizens Advice Bureau Law Centre or other advice centre.

You can complain about councillors, members and co-opted members of all of the authorities we cover.  A co-opted member is a voting member of an authority or one of its committees, who was appointed to their position for their particular skills and experience rather than being elected.

Under this process we can only consider complaints about individual councillors or members. If you wish to complain about the Isle of Wight Council as a whole or about people employed by it or contractors or services, refer to the Council Complaints Pages.

• How to make a complaint

Parish and Town Councils can determine their own code and therefore if you wish to obtain a copy you will need to contact the relevant Town or Parish Council direct.

A complaint should be made in writing, by filling in a complaint form.

• download the complaint form (PDF, 44KB)

You need to do this within 10 working days of the alleged breach of the Members Code of Conduct.

Any documents that support a complaint should accompany the form.

For more information about the investigation and hearings view the Council's Code of Conduct Complaints, Investigation and Hearings procedure which can be found in the Council Constitution

If you have any questions or need any help filling in this form, contact Democratic Services

Alistair Drain, appointed December 2012

Alistair Drain is a retired Local Government Officer with over 33 years’ experience. He has held several senior and a Chief Officer post in departments ranging from Management Services to Head of Scrutiny at the Isle of Wight Council. Since retiring in 2005, he has worked for a charity taking disabled and vulnerable adults to Lourdes, in France. Recently moved to the West Wight, Alistair enjoys a variety of outdoor activities and sports with his family and grandchildren. 

John Matthews, appointed 20 November 2019