Case management policy for councillors - unacceptable behaviour and actions by members of the public

Unacceptable behaviours and actions by members of the public

Councillors will normally wish to give members of the public unlimited contact to them. However, there may be occasions where a member of the public makes unreasonable demands for information without apparent good reason or where they act in a manner to cause annoyance, or infringe the normal relations which exist between a member of the public and a councillor.

The common view of unacceptable behaviour is when a member of the public is abusive either verbally or physically. However, there are other behaviours which unreasonably impact on the relationship between the member of the public and a councillor. For example, where a person makes constant requests for information without apparent good reason or where they are acting in a manner to cause annoyance without the intention of resolving their query. It is particularly this type of behaviour on which a councillor may need guidance, in order to deal with the effects on themselves and the council. In the most extreme cases a councillor may wish to request that this policy be invoked.