4. Initial Assessment Stage 1
The outcome of the initial assessment will usually be confirmed to the Complainant by the Monitoring Officer within four weeks of the complaint being lodged.
Where a complaint is valid, the Monitoring Officer may then seek further clarification or relevant information from the Complainant. It is essential that the Complainant provide sufficient information to enable the Subject Member and those responsible for assessing the complaint to understand the substance of the complaint. If the Complainant is unable or unwilling to provide any further information, the Monitoring Officer will determine whether it is appropriate to proceed with consideration of the complaint. The Monitoring Officer may decide not to progress a complaint or it may be referred to the Standards Assessment Sub Committee for consideration. It is ultimately the responsibility of the Complainant to provide the supporting evidence for their complaint to justify a the complaint progressing.
Once the Monitoring Officer is satisfied that sufficient information has been provided, the Subject Member will be notified of the complaint and given the opportunity to respond. The Subject Member will normally be given a reasonable period of time to respond (usually two weeks).
Once the Subject Member has provided comments the Monitoring Officer may consider whether there is scope for informal resolution which, if successful, may resolve the complaint. If successful the matter is concluded.