Members of the Council, and of Parish / Town Councils, are required to follow a statutory Code of Conduct. If you feel that a member has acted in breach of this Code, you may submit a complaint. The Council's Standards Committee has the responsibility for considering complaints that a member may have breached the Code of Conduct.

Anyone who believes that a member of the Council may have breached the Code of Conduct can make a complaint to the Standards Committee (see below). Each complaint will be assessed to establish whether it falls within the Standards Committee's jurisdiction. A decision will be made on whether any action should be taken either by way of investigation or alternative measure. This does not mean that the Standards Committee has made up its mind about the allegation, it means that the Committee has concluded that the alleged conduct, if proven, may amount to a failure to comply with the Code of Conduct.

The only types of complaint that the Standards Committee can investigate are those which involve an alleged breach of the Code of Conduct which include where a member has:

• Caused the Council to breach any of the equality enactments, bullied or failed to treat people with respect, or done something to prevent those who work for the authority from being unbiased;
• Intimidated any person involved in any investigation or proceedings about a member's alleged misconduct;
• Revealed information that was given to them in confidence, or stopped someone getting information that they are entitled to by law;
• Damaged the reputation of their office or authority bringing their office or the council into disrepute;
• Used their position improperly, to their own or someone's else's advantage or disadvantage;
• Misused the authority's resources including using them improperly for political purposes;
• Failed to register financial or other interests;
• Failed to follow the rules relating to disclosure of a personal interest at a meeting;
• Taken part in a meeting or made a decision where they have an interest that is so significant that it is likely to affect their judgement (a "prejudicial interest");
• Improperly influencing a decision about a matter that they have a prejudicial interest in

If you believe that the Code of Conduct has been breached and you want to complain about the conduct of a member of Trafford Council or a member of one of our parish or town councils, you must submit a complaint in writing. You can also download a Members Code of Conduct Complaint Form.

You should then return your complaint to:

Chairman of the Assessment Sub-Committee
The Standards Committee
Democratic Services
Room 123, Trafford Town Hall
Talbot Road
Stretford
M32 0TH

Please mark the envelope "Confidential"

You can also submit a complaint be emailing: member.complaints@trafford.gov.uk

Please not that your identity and details of your complaint will normally be disclosed to the subject matter. This information will only be withheld in exceptional circumstances and at the discretion of the Standards Committee. If you consider that the information should be withheld, please indicate the reason(s) on the form.

The Standards Committee is responsible for promoting and maintaining high standards of conduct by members of the Council. This responsibility extends to members of the parish and town councils in Trafford. The Standards committee is chaired by a person who is independent of the Council.