A complaint has been made against a serving Northumberland county councillor alleging a breach of the code of conduct. The councillor has not been identified, but members have been told it is likely to be a 'significant complaint'.
Details of the complaint
Details have not been made public, but the complaint has progressed through the council's standards complaints process and now requires determination through a hearing. A cross-party panel of councillors will be convened, with the hearing chaired in a non-voting capacity by Standards Lead Simon Openshaw.
Seriousness emphasised
Speaking at Wednesday's meeting of the council's audit and standards committee, Mr Openshaw stressed the seriousness. 'This matter is not a criminal matter, it is around code of conduct. It's not a minor petty issue, it is likely to be pretty serious,' he said. 'Very few complaints actually go to a hearing - they're either resolved or fall by the wayside in terms of being minor or petty.'
He added: 'To date, nothing has been determined regarding this matter, but it has progressed through. It has obviously passed tests of jurisdiction and threshold - it hasn't arrived here cold, it has progressed and there is some detail behind it. The council doesn't go into the cost and effort to investigate witch hunts or political infighting. It is likely to be a significant complaint - there are a number of parties involved.'
Hearing panel composition
Volunteers from the committee will be sought to sit on the hearing. The panel will be cross party, using the council's political proportionality as a guide: one Conservative councillor, one Reform councillor, and a third from other groups including Labour, Liberal Democrats, Greens, and Independents. Four councillors will be recruited to allow for scheduling conflicts.
Mr Openshaw explained the confidentiality: 'All complaints are confidential. That is why we see very few details at this committee. I don't know the nature of this complaint, but a complaint has progressed through the process that we have.'
