A new local way for people to resolve any problems or complaints they have about their councillors will be on offer from next week.

At the moment, anyone who is unhappy about the way a district, town or parish councillor in the Suffolk Coastal area has behaved must complain in writing to the Standards Board for England, based in Manchester.

“From May 8, anyone with a problem about one of their councillors can instead take it up with the local Standards Committee of Suffolk Coastal District Council, which is made up of independent members of the public as well as councillors,” said Kevin Williams, Chairman of the Standards Committee.

“On receiving a complaint, the Standards Committee will decide whether the complaint should be investigated, and we will hold a public hearing  if there is an investigation which shows that the councillor has broken the rules of the Code of Conduct,” added Mr Williams.

If the Committee agrees that the Code of Conduct has been broken, it has a range of possible actions, such as requiring the councillor to give an apology, or to undertake training. It can also censure the councillor’s behaviour or stop the councillor from acting as a councillor for a period of time.

“We are here to provide an independent local eye on the way councillors are behaving in this district. I hope this new arrangement will make it even easier for people to raise any problems that they have,” added Mr Williams.

More information will soon be available giving further details about the new arrangements, along with a form to fill in and an address where people can send complaints. Anyone wanting more information can call Hilary Slater, Suffolk Coastal’s monitoring officer on 01394 444336, or email hilary.slater@suffolkcoastal.gov.uk A copy of the complaint form will also be available on www.suffolkcoastal.gov.uk/yourcouncil/councillors/standards.htm