Great Aycliffe Town Council wants to provide excellent quality services for the residents of Great Aycliffe. However, things can sometimes go wrong. If they do, we need to know so we can put them right and learn from our mistakes.
The Town Council sees all customer comments and feedback as a good way of evaluating its services. Complaints and comments are an important part of this process and help us to learn and develop. The Town Council aims to use this information to help drive improvements forward.
Our Promises to you
- You will receive a prompt, courteous and efficient service;
- You can expect a full and fair investigation of your comment or complaint;
- We will be happy to explain procedures to you if you are unsure about anything;
- Your confidentiality will be respected at all times;
- Your personal information will be kept in line with Data Protection;
- You will be kept informed of progress and the outcome of your complaint, as outlined below;
- We will make it easy for customers, or those acting on their behalf, to make a complaint or pass on comments about a service;
- We will try to resolve complaints, put things right where appropriate and take any action necessary to prevent recurrence as soon as practicable;
- We will monitor comments and complaints and provide feedback to Service Heads and Members so that trends are highlighted and can be taken into account when decisions are made.
Complaints against Councillors
Please be advised that any complaints regarding a Councillor who has breached the Code of Conduct are dealt with independently by the Monitoring Officer at Durham County Council. They can contacted on 03000 260000, for more details please visit the website at Durham County Council, complaints
If a complaint is regarding something that may have broken the law this should be reported to the Police. They can be contacted via 101 or the Durham and Darlington Police website
Please note – these are the only circumstances in which a Councillor may legally be disqualified from office.
Councillor Disqualification
On account of the responsibility that a Councillor has in the work of a local Council and the nature of that work, he/she cannot continue in office if he/she:
- Fails to deliver his form which formally confirms his acceptance of office (upon election.)
- Fails to attend a meeting of the whole Council, a committee, sub-committee or joint committee for a period of six months and the reason for absence is not approved before the expiry of the six-month period.
- Holds a paid office or employment, the appointments to which are made by the Council
- Is the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or an interim bankruptcy restrictions order, or a debt relief restrictions order or interim debt relief restrictions order under the Insolvency Act 1986, which dates from the judgement or execution and generally ends one year after the relevant order is made.
- Has within five years before the date of the election, or since his election, been convicted or an office in the UK, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man, which has imposed a sentence of imprisonment of three months or more (whether suspended or not) without the option of a fine.
- Is convicted of offences involving corrupt or illegal practices.
- If a person has been convicted for failure to register or declare a disclosable interest under the Localism Act 2011.
A Councillor’s normal term of office will come to an end after four years.
A Councillor’s term of office will of course end upon his/her resignation or death.
