You can complain about the conduct of any elected member of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council or a parish councillor in the borough.
Councillors must follow the Members’ Code of Conduct, which sets out standards for behaviour, decision‑making and the declaration of interests.
If you believe a councillor has breached the Code of Conduct, you can submit a complaint using the form below.
What you can complain about
You can make a complaint if you believe a councillor has:
- behaved inappropriately or shown disrespect
- misused their position
- failed to declare or manage interests
- made improper comments in meetings or online
- acted in a way that breaches the Code of Conduct
The complaint must relate to the councillor acting in their official role.
What you cannot complain about
You cannot use this process for:
- policy or political decisions
- a councillor’s performance as your representative
- private or personal disputes
- customer service issues (use report a problem or make a complaint instead)
These issues are not Code of Conduct breaches.
How your complaint is assessed
When you submit a complaint, the Monitoring Officer will carry out an initial assessment.
They will consider:
- whether the Code of Conduct applies
- whether there is enough information to investigate
- whether the issue is serious enough to require action
- whether enough time has passed to make investigation unreasonable
- whether investigating would be in the public interest
If the complaint does not meet these criteria, it may be closed with no further action.
Investigation and possible outcomes
If the Monitoring Officer decides to investigate, they may:
- gather documents
- speak to witnesses
- consult an Independent Person
- issue a report
If the investigation finds that a councillor has breached the Code of Conduct, possible outcomes include:
- a formal censure
- removal from committees or outside bodies
- publication of the breach
- mandatory training
- other actions permitted by the Council’s standards arrangements
The Council cannot suspend or remove an elected councillor from office.
Confidentiality
In most cases, councillors will be told who has made a complaint about them.
You can ask for your identity to be kept confidential. This may be granted if:
- there is a risk of physical harm
- you work closely with the councillor
- you have a serious health condition
- you may face disadvantage or retaliation
The Monitoring Officer will decide whether confidentiality is appropriate.
Withdrawing your complaint
You can ask to withdraw your complaint at any time before a final decision.
The Monitoring Officer may refuse your request if:
- the public interest requires the complaint to continue
- the issue is serious
- the complaint can be investigated without you
- there are concerns about pressure being placed on you to withdraw
Make a complaint
If you need to make a complaint, you can go back to the main complaints page and choose whether to complain about a council service, a school or a councillor.
