Councillors Code of Conduct

Councillors are subject to a Code of Conduct which governs their behaviour when carrying out official duties. This Code forms part of our Constitution.

The Code of Conduct covers matters such as declarations of interest, treating others with respect, not bringing the Council into disrepute. If you have concern about the conduct of a councillor (District, Parish or Town Council) and you think they have breached the Code, you are entitled to make a complaint. This should be done in writing using a complaint form and sent to the Monitoring Officer, Bolsover District Council, The Arc, High Street, Clowne, Derbyshire S43 4JY.

The complainant should ensure that they have clearly identified the breaches of the Code they are alleging against the Councillor. The complaint cannot be about a Council decision or service delivery issue. We have produced a summary of the complaints process for ease of understanding.

Complaints are assessed by the Monitoring Officer who is responsible for deciding how each complaint is dealt with. The Monitoring Officer will decide, following consultation with an independent person, if the complaint is within the jurisdiction of the Code and if there should be an investigation, or if other action should be taken to address the complaint or the conduct of the Member, or if no further action is to be taken.

If a complaint is investigated it may lead to a Standards Committee Hearing and a sanction against the councillor concerned.

Detailed guidance on the complaints procedure is also available here.

The register of interests form submitted by each Councillor can be found on their individiual information pages here.

Parish Councils can adopt their own Codes of Conduct. Details of the Parish Councils within Bolsover District can be found here.

The Standards Committee produces an Annual Report covering its work on the promotion of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards. These are available here: