Sixteen complaints were lodged against Rutland councillors in the most recent municipal financial year, but none was upheld.

The details were given at the conduct meeting held at Rutland County Council with the majority of complaints received made against county councillors.

The council's head of legal services Sarah Khawaja said during the 2023-24 year (which runs May to April) there had been three complaints made against elected councillors on Stretton Parish Council, two against councillors on Uppingham Town Council and 11 against county councillors.

She said: "None of the complaints progressed to a full investigation or a hearing before the committee. There was either an informal resolution or no further action."

Details of names and particulars of the complaint were not given in the public report, which was originally due to be held in private because it contained details of individuals. 

Dates of names or particulars of the complaint were not given (Nub News).

But after questions were raised by the local democracy reporting service ahead of the meeting, asking why no details were being released, the authority decided to make public the number of complaints received and at which councils they had been made. 

The legal officer told the conduct committee members: "The report that has gone with the log of complaints, which was agreed some years ago to report on annually, very much simply produces that log. While it is appropriate for the log itself with names to be dealt with in a private session, there is more information that is currently provided, that could have been contained in the report and I will say going forward it will be my intention to make sure that is included in the report because, as it is, it does not give any information at all and that is not satisfactory because there should be as much in the public domain as can be."

The committee also agreed changes to the way complaints against councillors are handled.

When a complaint comes in to the council the monitoring officer will now have a 21 day assessment period to determine whether it constitutes a complaint. Factors considered will be whether the complaint is vexatious or frivolous; whether the councillor was acting in their capacity as a councillor and whether it is in the public interest to examine it further. The complained of councillor will only be informed after the assessment period.