Councillors' - Code of Conduct

On this page: Details of how to make a formal complaint against an elected or co-opted Member in relation to a breach of the Members' Code of Conduct.

Information For Potential Complainants

Swindon Borough Council’s Standards Committee is responsible for considering written complaints, in relation to breaches of the Members’ Code of Conduct, against: 

• Elected or co-opted Members of Swindon Borough Council
• Elected or co-opted Members of a Parish or Town Council in the Swindon Area. 

Serious complaints may be referred by the Standards Committee to the Standards Board for England for investigation and, for less serious matters, it may be referred to the Council’s Monitoring Officer for investigation or other appropriate action to be recommended (e.g. training or conciliation).

How to Make a Complaint 

If you wish to submit a complaint (as described above), you can complete a Complaint Form and send it together with relevant supporting evidence to Swindon Borough Council’s Monitoring Officer at the contact address below. 

Please Note: 

1. The Standards Sub-committee can only deal with complaints about the alleged behaviour and conduct of a Member and will not deal with complaints about any of the Council’s departments, paid employees or matters not covered by the Council’s Members’ Code of Conduct.
2. All complaints must be made in writing. If you are writing a letter or sending an e-mail, please ensure that you use the Complaints Form as a guide to the cover all of the details required.
3. If you are unsure about any aspect of the process or need general advice, please contact the Council’s Monitoring Officer before submitting a complaint.
4. Please submit the written complaint by post, e-mail or fax to the address below (preferably) within 28 days of the alleged breach or explain sufficiently, in the Complaint Form (or letter), as to why the complaint is being submitted outside of this period of time.

Sanctions Available to Standards Committees 

The following document contains details of the sanctions available to Standards Committees following a hearing: 

• Standards Committee Sanctions 

Contact Monitoring Officer 

Mr Stephen Taylor (Monitoring Officer)
Swindon Borough Council
Civic Offices
Euclid Street
Swindon
SN1 2 JH 

Tel:  01793 463012
Fax: 01793 463366

Email: staylor@swindon.gov.uk