All councils must adopt a Code of Conduct under the Localism Act 2011.
The Code of Conduct sets out the standards of behaviour expected from councillors and co-opted members when acting in their official capacity.
Colchester City Council adopted the Local Government Association’s Model Councillor Code of Conduct on 1 December 2022.
Register of interests
The Monitoring Officer maintains and publishes a register of interests for councillors and co-opted members.
Councillors must register their financial and other relevant interests within 28 days of being elected or appointed.
View councillors’ registers of interests
Parish, town and community councils
The Monitoring Officer also maintains registers of interests for councillors and co-opted members of parish, town and community councils within the city of Colchester.
These registers must also be published on the relevant council’s website, where it has one.
You can arrange to inspect a register by contacting the relevant parish, town or community council.
Parish, town and community councillors must register their financial and other relevant interests within 28 days of being elected or appointed.
View parish, town and community councillors’ registers of interests
Complain about a councillor
You can make a written complaint if you believe a councillor or co-opted member has failed to follow the Code of Conduct.
The complaints arrangements apply to:
- Colchester City Council councillors and co-opted members
- parish, town and community councillors and co-opted members within the city of Colchester
Before making a complaint, read the:
- standards complaint assessment criteria (PDF)
- arrangements for dealing with Code of Conduct complaints (PDF, 255KB)
The Monitoring Officer will use the assessment criteria to decide whether the complaint should be investigated or referred to the Governance and Audit Committee.
Submit a complaint
Complete the Code of Conduct complaint form (PDF) and send it by email or post.
Email: andrew.weavers@colchester.gov.uk
Post:
The Monitoring Officer
Colchester City Council
Rowan House
33 Sheepen Road
Colchester
CO3 3WG
Telephone: 01206 282213
Complaints we cannot investigate
This process can only consider complaints about the behaviour of councillors and co-opted members.
It cannot consider complaints about:
- council services or departments
- council policies or decisions
- parish or town council clerks
- matters that are not covered by the Code of Conduct
Contact the Monitoring Officer before submitting your complaint if you are unsure whether this process applies.
The Monitoring Officer
Colchester City Council’s Monitoring Officer is Andrew Weavers, Head of Governance.
The Monitoring Officer is appointed under Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.
Their responsibilities include:
- maintaining councillors’ registers of interests
- overseeing the Code of Conduct complaints process
- advising the council about legal and governance requirements
- reporting any council action that may be unlawful or amount to maladministration
Before issuing a statutory report, the Monitoring Officer must consult the Chief Executive and the council’s Section 151 Officer.
Governance and Audit Committee
The Governance and Audit Committee oversees standards of conduct for councillors and co-opted members.
The committee may hold a hearing into an allegation that a councillor or co-opted member has failed to follow the Code of Conduct.
This also applies to parish, town and community councillors within the city of Colchester.
Any recommendation made following a hearing is made to the relevant council and is not legally binding.