Complaints against West Berkshire councillors double

The number of complaints about councillors at West Berkshire Council has more than doubled in the past three years.

Twenty complaints were lodged in the past year.

Fourteen of the complaints related to social media activity, although these were limited to three separate incidents.

A report to the council’s governance and ethics committee says none of these complaints were referred for investigation.

Six complaints related to councillor conduct in the planning process, none of which were referred for investigation.

One complaint, which related to an allegation that a member had failed to declare an interest at a planning meeting, was considered and was determined that no further action should be taken.

The complainant disagreed, and commenced judicial review proceedings in the High Court.

The court refused the application for permission to apply for judicial review, and awarded costs in favour of the council.

Rules governing gifts and hospitality are there to ensure that the council can demonstrate that no undue influence has been applied or could be said to have been applied.

Members and officers must declare relevant gifts and hospitality which have been offered to or received by them.

There was a significant reduction in the number of gifts or hospitality declared by officers, with 28 declarations made during 2020/21, which is a reduction from 72 in the previous year.

There were no declarations of hospitality made by councillors in the same year.