Councillor conduct

All councillors have signed up and are bound by a Code of Conduct which covers how they should behave in public office. There may be occasions when you believe that a councillor's behaviour falls short of that required of them. The council amended its Code of Conduct in April 2016

The Monitoring Officer is an employee of the council who provides advice to members on the Code of Conduct and carries out independent investigations about the behaviour of councillors. Reports of the Monitoring Officer are made to the Standards Committee. The Standards Committee has responsibility for dealing with complaints against councillors.

Making a complaint

If you have a complaint or are concerned about the conduct of either a district councillor or a town or parish councillor within the Epping Forest District Council Scheme, you can contact the Local Assessment Officer, Simon Hill to discuss the nature of your complaint in confidence

• By telephone on 01992 564249
• By email to shill@eppingforestdc.gov.uk

Any complaint made to the Council's Monitoring Officer must state which section of the code the Councillor concerned has breached and must contain evidence sufficient to investigate the matter. A form is available on request.

You must submit it in writing to:

• The Monitoring Officer, Governance Directorate
  Epping Forest District Council, Civic Offices, High Street, Epping, Essex CM16 4BZ

The role of the Standards Committee

The Standards Committee was established under the Local Government Act 2000. Since that time the Committee has overseen the standards of elected members. From July 2012 the Committee will be constituted in accordance with the Localism Act 2011. Details of its terms of reference and membership can be found on the Standards Committee section of the Committee Management System. The Committee is appointed annually by the council.

All of our Standards Committee agenda and minutes are available on our website. 

Parish and town councils

The Standards Committee operates according to procedures agreed by the council and incorporated into its constitution. Its responsibilities include investigating and ruling on complaints against town and parish councillors of authorities affiliated to the district council scheme as well as members of Epping Forest District Council.

More details about town and parish arrangements can be found by clicking the plus sign below