Councillor code of conduct

Behaviour

The Councillor’s (or members) code of conduct aims to promote high standards of behaviour.

It also applies to co-opted members.

County councillors must comply with the Code when they:

  • act in the capacity of a member of the authority
  • conduct the business of the authority 
  • represent the authority on any other body, except if it’s another relevant authority, when they will follow that authorities’ code of conduct.  

Councillors must behave in a way that follows the 7 Principles of public service:

  • Selflessness
  • Integrity
  • Objectivity
  • Accountability
  • Openness
  • Honesty
  • Leadership

The Members' Code of Conduct is Part 5a of our Constitution

Interests 

They must also declare and register any personal and business interests.

Complaints

If you would like to make a complaint about the conduct of a councillor, please read the guidance before doing so and you will need to make reference to the Members' Code of Conduct above:

Guidance on making a complaint PDF, 44.68 KB Opens new window
 

Please note:

  • Complaints can only be accepted in writing or by email.
  • Complaints can only be accepted in respect of a Member’s conduct at a time when they were acting in their capacity as a Councillor; the Council has no jurisdiction over the conduct of a Councillor who is not either acting in their capacity as a Councillor, conducting the business of the Council or representing the Council or its views.
  • The Council is unlikely to be able to keep your identity or the information you provide confidential if you make a complaint. If you have serious concerns about disclosure of your name and a summary of your complaint, you can indicate this in the complaint form.
  • An officer from the Council may contact you personally to go through the details of your complaint.

When you are ready, complete the online councillor complaint form.

If you’re unable to use the online form, send your complaint by email to democracy@leics.gov.uk or in writing to the address shown on this page.

Member Conduct Decisions

Decisions regarding complaints are mostly taken by the Member Conduct Panel.  It meets on an ad hoc basis and details of these meetings can be found on the Committee details page of the Democracy website.

Reports presented to the Panel are usually treated as confidential until an investigation has been carried out resulting in a finding that the Code of Conduct has been breached.

Most often, however, complaints will be informally resolved by agreement between the parties, without the need for a formal investigation. This is usually by way of an apology which is offered and accepted. In circumstances where the Panel requests that such an apology be made public, these are published below.

Formal Letter from the Monitoring Officer

A meeting of the Member Conduct Panel we held on 5 May 2026 to consider complaints made against Mr. C. Whitford CC.  A link to the meeting and agenda papers can be found on our Democracy and decision making site.

In accordance with the decision of the Panel, the formal letter sent by the Monitoring Officer to Mr Whitford CC outlining its decision and the sanctions imposed is set out below:

Dear Mr Whitford CC,

Member Conduct Panel hearing 5 May 2026 – finding of breach of the Members’ Code of Conduct

I am writing in my capacity as the Council’s Monitoring Officer on the instruction of the Council’s Member Conduct Panel following today’s hearing.

At that hearing, the Panel decided to conduct the hearing in public session and unanimously found that you had breached the Members’ Code of Conduct in respect of emailed responses, sent from your County Council email account, to members of the public who had raised concerns about the hanging of St George’s flags on County Council lampposts in Markfield.

The Panel’s findings

The Panel unanimously found breaches of the following provisions of the Members’ Code of Conduct:

  • Paragraph 2.3.1 – to treat members of the public with respect 
  • Paragraphs 2.7.1 and 2.7.2 – to not bully or harass any person
  • Paragraph 2.7.2 – to promote equalities and not discriminate unlawfully against any person 
  • Paragraph 2.16 – not bring the role of councillor or the Council into disrepute

The Panel also found that you had technically breached paragraph 2.30 of the Code by failing to register an interest in a company; however, in line with the Investigation Report’s recommendation, the Panel decided that no further action should be taken on that aspect.

Sanctions imposed

Having made the above findings, the Panel unanimously imposed the following sanctions:

  1. Formal censure: that you be formally censured for the matters set out in the Investigation Report, which the Panel regarded as unacceptable behaviour by a Councillor towards members of the public. 
  2. This formal letter - that the Monitoring Officer write to you setting out the Panel’s decision, the sanctions imposed, and its disappointment at having to make a finding that the Code of Conduct has been breached. 
  3. Public apology: that you issue a public apology to be read out by the Chairman at Full Council on 13 May 2026, with wording which has been agreed by the Panel and yourself, and that the apology be published on the Council’s Member Conduct website alongside this letter. I attach a copy of the agreed apology that will be read out.
  4. Training and support: that the Council considers the training and support of newly elected members to ensure they are adequately prepared and supported in their role, particularly those appointed to the Cabinet.

The Panel further decided that a copy of this letter is to be published on the Council’s website and displayed on the Member Conduct webpage for a period of up to six months.

The Member Conduct Panel also wanted to express its disappointment that it was necessary to reach a finding of breaches of the Members’ Code of Conduct and emphasised the importance of maintaining public confidence in the standards of conduct expected of elected members.

The Panel noted that you accepted the findings of the investigation report and that you assured it you now understand the importance of responding to members of the public in a professional manner, without allowing political commentary to intrude into such correspondence.

Please treat this letter as a formal notification of the Panel’s decision and the sanctions imposed.

Yours sincerely,

Fiona McMillan
Chief Legal Officer & Monitoring Officer

Public apologies

Public apology – Mr C. Whitford CC

Mr Whitford CC has also issued the following public apology which at the request of the Panel will be read out by the Chairman at the full Council meeting on 13 May 2026:

“I accept the findings of the investigation report and the Member Conduct Panel’s decision that I have breached the code of conduct on a number of counts. I accept that my behaviour fell well short of the behaviour that the Council expects of its members.

I want to apologise to any members of the community, and to anyone who was hurt or offended by my comments and behaviour. I recognise that words matter, and I am truly sorry for the distress that my remarks have caused. That was never my intention.

I will ensure that all future communications reflect the responsibility of the office I hold. I care deeply about serving everyone in our area, and I will do the work needed to rebuild trust.

Mr Charles Whitford, County Councillor for Markfield, Desford & Thornton"

Public apology – Mr M. Squires CC

The following public apology has been provided by Mr Squires following consideration of two complaints made against him by the Member Conduct Panel on 20 May 2026. The complaints concern a social media post including an image of a member of staff reposted and commented on by Mr Squires regarding a County Council recruitment campaign which the Panel considered likely to have had an adverse impact on staff and the County Council’s reputation.

“The post in question reshared content from Leicestershire County Council’s Facebook page and included my comment regarding the wearing of lanyards. Whilst my intention was to comment on what I saw as a matter of public policy and the presentation of neutrality within public authorities, I recognise that my post was inappropriate in the context in which it was made.

In particular, I accept that the post involved an identifiable member of staff who was acting in accordance with council policy. Regardless of my intention, I acknowledge that my comment could reasonably be perceived as a criticism of that individual, and I regret any distress or upset this may have caused. Though I did feel that I had worded it in a way which avoided any criticism of the individual, I accept that it has not been perceived in that sense, and accept responsibility for that. When I was contacted and asked to remove the post, I did so immediately.

I would like to offer a clear and unreserved apology to the member of staff and to any other complainants. It was never my intention to cause offence or to single out any individual, and I am sorry that my actions had that effect.

At the time of posting this, I was only 5 months into the role. It can be challenging for new councillors with no political experience as we have to consider that what we post is legal, meets the code of conduct, is politically relevant, does not breach the member/officer protocol, and is in line with party ideology if a councillor is a member of a political party, as I am. I got it wrong on this occasion.

Since this incident, I have very recently undertaken social media and code of conduct training and have reflected carefully on the code of conduct standards expected of me as a councillor. I have been provided with a fully copy of the code of conduct which I have read – twice. I am committed to ensuring that my future conduct reflects those standards. This will not reoccur.”

Mr Michael Squires, County Councillor for Valley

Further reading