1. If a complaint about Parish Council procedures or administration is notified orally to a Councillor or an officer, and it is not possible to satisfy the complainant fully forthwith the complainant shall be asked to put the complaint in writing to the Proper Officer (the Clerk), and be assured that it will be dealt with promptly after receipt.
2. If a complainant indicates that they would prefer not to put the complaint to the Proper Officer they shall be advised to put it to the Chairman.
3. On receipt of a written complaint, the Proper Officer or Chairman, as the case may be, shall (except where the complaint is about their own actions), try to settle the complaint directly with the complainant but shall not do so in respect of a complaint about the behaviour of the Proper Officer or a Councillor without notifying the person complained of and giving him/her an opportunity to comment on the manner in which it is intended to attempt to settle the complaint. Where the Proper Officer or Chairman receives written complaint about their own actions he/she shall forthwith refer the complaint to the Council.
4. The Proper Officer or Chairman shall report to the next meeting of the Council any written complaint disposed of by direct action with the complainant.
5. The Proper Officer or Chairman shall bring any written complaint, which cannot be settled to the next meeting of the Council and the Proper Officer shall notify the complainant of the date on which the complaint will be considered.
6. The Council shall consider whether the circumstances attending any complaint warrant the matter being discussed in the absence of the press and public (including the complainant, if present), but any decision on a complaint shall be announced at the Council meeting in public.
7. As soon as may be after the decision has been made it, and the nature of any action to be taken, shall be communicated in writing to the complainant.
8. This procedure will not prejudice the rights of an elector to question the External Auditor at the Annual Audit of Accounts.
9. This procedure will not prejudice the rights of an elector or parish council member or parish council employee to submit a complaint relating to the Members’ Code of Conduct to the District Monitoring Officer.
Adopted June 5th 2017