Complaints brought against Daventry district and parish councillors total 15 since June 2017

A record of the complaints will be presented to Daventry District Council's appeals and standards committee at a meeting next month.

Only one of the breaches was escalated to a formal investigation stage, when a parish councillor was alleged to have failed to properly declare a financial interest during the production of a neighbourhood development plan.

The councillor was found to be in breach of the parish code of conduct because of the "failure to register interests; failure to disclose interests; failure to absent from or leave relevant meetings; bringing of office into disrepute".

Other alleged complaints levelled at parish councillors included damage to property; disrespect and bullying or intimidating behaviour; harassment of the complainant, bad management of council business and bringing office into disrepute; lies and misrepresentation in respect of a Neighbourhood Development Plan; and misinformation at a meeting which compromised the work of the council.

One complaint alleged councillors had been disrespectful to colleagues in emails.

"It could have been that the phrase was attempted humour - but this failed for the complainant," states the record of complaints.

"This example reinforces the need for careful written expression in official communications."

In so far as complaints made about district councillors, these concerned alleged disrespect during political debate; alleged bringing office into disrepute in responding to a planning application; and alleged bias in relation to handling a planning application for land next to the complainant.