Cumberland Council has a duty to promote high standards of conduct and, to achieve this, we have adopted a Members’ Code of Conduct.
All councillors, including town and parish, must follow a code of conduct. You can submit a complaint if you think an individual councillor is not following their code of conduct.
The code applies to councillors whenever they act in an official capacity as a member or co-opted member of the authority. You cannot use the codes to complain about what a councillor does as a private individual.
How to make a complaint about a councillor
Complete the online form.
Send your complaint in writing to:
Monitoring Officer
Cumberland Council
Civic Centre
Carlisle
CA3 8QG
Email your complaint to councillorcomplaints@cumberland.gov.uk
If you are unable to make your complaint in writing or need assistance in submitting your complaint, please contact Democratic Services on 01228 817039.
What you will need to submit a complaint
To submit a complaint about a councillor, you will need:
- to provide details about the councillor, including their name and that of the council they are a member of
- to have read the Code of Conduct and be able to tell us which part of the code the councillor has breached
- to provide a detailed explanation about the breach
- to explain why we should withhold your details, if you want your complaint to be anonymous
The explanation should include:
- specific examples of what happened
- the dates the alleged incidents took place
- details of any witnesses to the breach
- any background information that could be relevant (such as letters or emails).
If you have a complaint about a town or parish council as a whole, or an employee of a town or parish council (such as the clerk) you must submit your complaint through that town or parish council’s own complaints process.
Code of Conduct
Each town and parish council is also required to adopt a Code of Conduct. If you wish to inspect a town or parish council’s Code of Conduct, you should do so by going to that council’s website and request the clerk allows you to inspect the Code of Conduct.
Cumberland Council has adopted a Code of Conduct for members.
Councillor code of conduct and standards (GOV.UK).
Download further information about how to complain about a Councillor: