Investigations

Can I contact you during an investigation?

You will be able to contact the Senior Investigating Officer assigned to your complaint and he or she will inform you of progress at regular intervals.

What happens during an investigation?

An investigation may include some or all of the following:

• Requesting and considering relevant documentation and paperwork from the council
• Interviewing witnesses (you may be interviewed to clarify certain aspects of your complaint)
• Considering media reports and social media content such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs
• Reviewing any relevant audio recordings of council meetings and /or CCTV footage
• We will also consider council policies and relevant legislation and case law.

Investigation Reports

The investigation will decide which of the following findings is appropriate:

• that there is no evidence of any failure to comply with the Code;
• that no action needs to be taken in respect of the matters that have been investigated; or
• that the Commissioner should make an adjudication on the matters that have been investigated.

The investigation findings are set out in an investigation report. The Councillor who is the subject of a complaint and the Chief Executive of his or her council always receive a copy of the investigation report.  If the investigation finding is that the Commissioner should adjudicate, the Commissioner will also receive a copy of the investigation report. Legislation, the Local Government Act (NI) 2014, does not allow any other person to receive a copy of the investigation report. We have no powers to publish a copy of the investigation report.

Where the investigation finding is that there is no evidence of any failure to comply with the Code or that no action needs to be taken, legislation does allow for us to publish a summary of the investigation report.