Dudley councillors set to sign new promise to behave themselves after rise in complaints

Dudley councillors are set to sign a new promise to behave themselves after a rise in complaints.

Get the Express & Star daily newsletter

A meeting of the full council on November 2 will debate a members’ pledge setting standards of behaviour which all 72 councillors will be expected to abide by.

The pledge has been suggested by the council’s Standards Committee after they were told by the council’s monitoring officer, who deals with breaches of codes of conduct, the number of complaints about members was on the rise, especially complaints by members against members.

A report for full council from Kehinde Awojobi, Dudley associate director, law and governance and deputy monitoring officer, said: “Of the ten complaints received so far this year, seven were member to member, ranging from inappropriate behaviour at council meetings to public allegations on social media. 

“The Chair of the Standards Committee is committed to improved standards of conduct and behaviour amongst members.”

The pledge document, which councillors will be expected to sign, sets out a number of ambitions based around the principles of respect, trust, accountability and leadership.

Councillors will be asked to agree to a number of principles including treating each other with ‘dignity, professionalism and respect regardless of political differences’.

Relations between elected councillors and officers can sometimes be put under strain and the pledge recognises the need for co-operation with an aspiration to share ‘mutual respect and a shared commitment to serving residents’.

The pledge will complement other documents including the Members’ Code of Conduct, the Member/Officer Charter and Dudley Council’s Constitution.

The document says: “As elected members of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, we recognise the privilege and responsibility entrusted to us by the people of Dudley. 

“We are committed to building a council known for integrity, accountability, mutual respect and effective leadership. 

“We will work together as One Dudley, putting residents first, demonstrating high standards of conduct and supporting the Council’s improvement journey.

“Success will be measured not simply by what we say, but by the culture we create, the relationships we build and the outcomes we achieve for residents.”