Four complaints against members of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority – three of which are complaints made by members against members – remain unresolved. “The primary cause for complaint relates to comments made in public and/or social media,” says the Combined Authority’s monitoring officer Edwina Adefehinti.
In her annual report covering the period from June 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024, she said there had been five complaints.
“Four of the complaints were made by elected members, one of which is no longer a member of the Combined Authority.
The fifth complaint was made by a member of the public. One of the complaints has now been concluded, she says.
“This complaint was made by a previous member against another member,” says Ms Adefehinti.
“The primary cause for complaint related to an alleged breach of confidential information. Following an investigation into the complaint, the investigator found that due to a lack of evidence, it was not possible to conclude whether a breach of confidentiality had taken place.
“On this basis, a decision notice confirming no further action was issued to both the complainant and the subject member, however, the decision notice was not published as the constitution does not require that a decision notice is published in the case of no further action.”
She says: “The fourth complaint was made by a member of the public against a member therefore, there are four outstanding complaints to conclude.
“To deal with each complaint, the monitoring officer contacts the member who is subject to the complaint and consult the Independent Person and may also consult an independent investigator to ensure fairness.
“Due to the impact of the Data Protection Act 2018 and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) the CPCA must ensure that any personal data is processed fairly and lawfully at every stage of the process.
“Reasonable expectations of privacy need to be balanced against the public interest.”
The legal officer adds: “As the investigations have not been concluded, it would be unfair to disclose details of the complaint as this could be prejudicial to all parties.
All complaints are dealt with in consultation with one of the CPCA’s Independent Persons.
FACT FILE
On 3 March 2017, Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority was established as a Mayoral Combined Authority for the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area.
The mission of the Combined Authority is to make life better, healthier, and fairer for all.
The Combined Authority works with local councils, the Business Board (Local Enterprise Partnership), local public services, Government departments and agencies, universities and businesses to grow the local and national economy.
It is made up of a directly elected Mayor and the following seven local authorities (referred to as the Constituent Councils) and the Business Board (Local Enterprise Partnership):
- Cambridge City Council
- Cambridgeshire County Council
- East Cambridgeshire District Council
- Fenland District Council
- Huntingdonshire District Council
- Peterborough City Council
- South Cambridgeshire District Council
