How should councillors behave?
Councillors are expected to represent their communities while being responsible for setting and monitoring policy for the council as a whole. They need to balance different interests and will often have to make difficult decisions. They may be elected on a political platform, and may take into account the views of their political group in deciding how to vote on a particular issue.
The public has a right to expect high standards of conduct from councillors. The standards of conduct expected are set out in a code of conduct. Each member becomes bound by the code of conduct when they accept office. The code of conduct forms part of the Council’s Constitution. You can read the code here.
What should you do if you believe a councillor has behaved badly
If you believe that a borough or parish councillor has breached the code of conduct, you can submit a complaint by completing our online complaint form.
The form will ask you for the following information:
Your name and address
The name of the councillor your complaint is about
Which council the councillor is a member of (for example Fylde Council or a parish council)
What you think the councillor has done wrong
It is important that you provide all the information you wish to have taken into account. For example:
You should be specific, wherever possible, about exactly what you are alleging the member said or did. For instance, instead of writing that the member insulted you, should state what they said
You should provide the dates of the alleged incidents wherever possible. If you cannot provide exact dates it is important to give a general time frame
You should tell us whether there are any witnesses to the alleged conduct and provide their names and contact details if possible
You should provide any relevant background information
If possible, tell us why you think that what the councillor did was a breach of the code of conduct
