North Yorkshire councillor's refusal to sign card among 223 official complaints

A councillor faced an official complaint for refusing to sign a "get well soon" card.

The grievance was among 223 registered by North Yorkshire Council between April last year and June this year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The list also included allegations that a meeting was "shouty and sweary", along with poor email etiquette.

A report for North Yorkshire Council’s standards and governance committee said the volume of complaints meant officials were struggling to cope.

A "high proportion" related to just three parish councils but the council has declined to reveal which ones.

Of the 179 complaints assessed so far, 145 merited no further action - including the complaint about the "get well soon" card.

Councillors blamed increased media coverage of meetings and a "changing culture" for the rise in complaints.

Of the 28 complaints that were referred for investigation just one has been completed. This judged the councillor had not breached the council’s code of conduct.

The committee acknowledged that more resources are needed to match the number of complaints.

An officer told the meeting: “The figures were higher than previously and at an exceptional level. The time taken to assess and handle all the complaints was substantial.”

The meeting also heard that a cross-party group had been set up to look at beefing up security for councillors after concerns were raised about the public being a potential threat at open meetings.

However, they noted the issue was being caused by a small minority of people.

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