NEATH PORT TALBOT Council has seen the number of complaints made against its members increase “significantly” during 2025-26.
The figures were revealed at a meeting of full council in June 2026 and showed a rise in complaints made against members of the county borough council as well as members of the local town and community councils.
It came as part of an annual report from the authority’s standards committee which highlighted the work it had done throughout the year.
The report said that 11 complaints were made against members of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council from April 2025 to March 2026 which alleged a breach of the code of conduct.
While a determination was made not to investigate these the figure was in contrast to only one complaint being made throughout the previous year.
It added that a total of 15 complaints were made against town and community councillors in 2025-26 with all bar one dismissed by the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales. This was in comparison to just two complaints made the year before.
Speaking at the meeting the chair of the standards committee Louise Fleet said the committee had played an important role in the council’s governance arrangements with standards in public life remaining under close scrutiny.
The report said: “A key theme throughout the year has been leadership and engagement.
“The committee met regularly with elected members, political group leaders, and town and community councils to discuss expectations of behaviour, attitudes to the code of conduct, the role of leadership in modelling respectful conduct, and the impact of poor behaviour on officers, clerks, and public confidence.”
When it came to the complaints it added: “During the period April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, the monitoring officer was notified of a total of 11 complaint made against Members of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council alleging a breach of the code of conduct, with a determination made not to investigate.
“We recognise however that the number of complaints has increased significantly previous needs and recognise the importance of learning and development opportunity to pre-empt referrals and address matters prior to issues developing.
“During the period April 1, 2025, to March 31, 2026, the monitoring officer was notified of 15 complaints made against town and community councillors alleging a breach of the code of conduct.
“All bar one was dismissed by the Public Service Ombudsman for Wales as not being appropriate for investigation with the other referred to the standards committee who will consider the matter in spring 2026.”
