Croydon's Ethics Committee is reviewing its complaints process, with potential revisions under consideration following a recent meeting. The meeting included discussions on updates to ethical standards and a report on complaints received in the second and third quarters of 2025.

The committee, including Councillor Catherine Wilson (Chair), Councillor Brigitte Graham (Vice-Chair), convened to discuss a range of issues, including the handling of ethics complaints. Minutes from the previous Ethics Committee meeting on 9 July 2025, show the committee considered draft revised Ethics Complaints Processes and resolved to provide comments on the drafts outlined in Appendix A track changes and Appendix B Clean copy.

According to the Public Reports Pack, the Monitoring Officer received 11 complaints between the last report and 30 September 2025. Of these, six were awaiting further information, two were in abeyance due to separate legal proceedings, one was at the assessment stage, and two had been considered with no further action1.

The committee reviewed the assessment criteria used by the Monitoring Officer when determining whether to investigate a complaint. These criteria include factors such as whether the allegation relates to a disclosable pecuniary interest, the seriousness of the complaint, and whether it appears malicious or politically motivated.

Recent developments in ethical standards were also discussed, including a Local Government Association (LGA) survey highlighting the prevalence of untrue or misleading information published about councillors. The survey indicated that 52% of councillors reported experiencing such issues2. The report also highlighted that seven in 10 councillors reported experiencing abuse and intimidation in the last 12 months.

Flowchart outlining steps for council members to take if they feel threatened or intimidated.
Flowchart outlining steps for council members to take if they feel threatened or intimidated.

The Monitoring Officer reminded members of the council's Members' Handbook, which contains advice and relevant contacts for members' safety. The handbook includes a quick reference guide for members who feel threatened or intimidated, advising them to remove themselves from the situation, call the police if in danger, and report the incident to their Group Leader and the Monitoring Officer. Group Leaders are expected to foster a positive environment and address any reported breaches of protocol by their group members.

  1. Appendix A of the report on ethics complaints provides anonymized information on the completed complaints. Complaint 08/25 alleged that a Councillor failed to treat the public with respect and brought the council into disrepute on social media, resulting in no further action. Complaint 12/25 concerned a Councillor's failure to respond to emails, also resulting in no further action. ↩

  2. The meeting information references an LGA survey regarding untrue or misleading information published about councillors, but it does not provide specific examples observed in Croydon. The survey found that just over half of councillors (52%) reported having untrue or misleading information about their political or personal conduct publicly published.  ↩