Sharp rise in complaints against local authorities

COMPLAINTS made to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales about the conduct of elected members in Welsh local authorities have soared.

The Ombudsman’s annual report for 2020-21 reveals complaints about local elected members increased by some 47% during the pandemic.

A record 535 new complaints were received, with 308 taken forward for a full investigation, rising from 231 full investigations in the previous year.

“In a year where Handforth Parish Council became a social media viral phenomenon, it’s interesting to note the sharp rise in code of conduct complaints about local elected members that my office received during the pandemic,” said Public Services Ombudsman for Wales Nick Bennett.

“There were several high-profile cases, including substantial sanctions applied to individual members in Cardiff and Merthyr. But beyond the headline-grabbing cases, we have seen many examples of poor behaviour that would make Jackie Weaver’s hair curl.”

The Ombudsman investigates complaints about public services and the conduct of elected members in public life to drive the improvement of public services.

The Ombudsman’s role includes considering allegations that members of local authorities, community councils, fire and rescue authorities, national park authorities and police and crime panels in Wales have breached their authority’s statutory code of conduct. These codes of conduct set out the recognised principles of behaviour that members should follow in public life.

The Ombudsman referred to the infamous Handforth Parish Council Zoom

meeting in his annual report. The meeting video went viral in April after the chairman, Brian Tolver, told stand-in clerk Jackie Weaver that she had “no authority here”. The meeting descended into chaos and racked up more than a million YouTube views, with Mrs Weaver kicking three members out of the meeting after tempers flared.

Mr Bennett said: “Many of the complaints we receive stem from comments made online and on social media. With more local authority meetings conducted online and with the public spending more time on social media, perhaps it’s no surprise that poor behaviour by elected members is capturing more public attention.

“In line with this rise in complaints, my office has been directly involved in training town councils to make sure that they are fully aware of the expectations of the code of conduct and the need to maintain high standards in local public life. We have also revised our code of conduct guidance to help local authorities reinforce to members what is expected of them.

“Only around 3% of such complaints pass our public interest test and go forward to the Adjudication Panel for Wales or local standards committees to decide whether any action needs to be taken. However, it is concerning that poor, offensive or disreputable behaviour seems to be an increasing feature of public life. Therefore, I would urge all elected members to familiarise themselves with the code of conduct of the authority they serve.”

■ The Ombudsman’s Annual Report and Accounts for 2021-21 can be found at www.ombudsman.wales