All local authorities (apart from parish and town councils) are under a legal duty to have a Monitoring Officer. The Monitoring Officer has a specific duty to ensure that the Council, its officers, and its Elected Councillors, maintain the highest standards of conduct in all they do. The requirement to have a Monitoring Officer and their legal basis is found in Section 5 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 (as amended).
More information about the responsibilities and working arrangements of the Monitoring Officer is set out in the Monitoring Officer Protocol in part 4E of the Council’s Constitution.
The key jobs of the Monitoring Officer include:
- Making sure decisions are made in a lawful and fair way
- maintaining the constitution
- supporting the Ethics Committee
- carrying out investigations into alleged breaches of the Member Code of Conduct
- helping with access to information
- providing legal advice to the Council
- looking into claims of whistleblowing
More information about the Councillor Code of Conduct and how to raise a concern that a councillor may have breached it.
Monitoring Officer
Address: Council HouseEarl Street
Coventry
CV1 5RR