By Grant Smith

Their decisions may not always be to everyone’s taste, but it seems nobody reckons that Dundee councillors have been going about their business improperly.

The city council is one of only two local authorities not to have had elected members reported to the Standards Commission for Scotland for possible breaches of the code of conduct.

However, just over 200 councillors in other parts of the country have been the subject of investigations after complaints were made about their behaviour.

The code covers topics such as allowances, gifts and hospitality, registering interests, handling planning applications, confidentiality and relationships with council employees.

It is meant to ensure that councillors act in a manner appropriate to someone who has been elected to a position of public trust and applies only to a person’s conduct as a councillor, not any aspect of their private life.

In answer to a Parliamentary query from Moray MSP Margaret Ewing, the Scottish Executive has confirmed that between May 2003, when the code came into force, and the end of March 2005, the Standards Commission had carried out 201 inquiries.

Dundee City and East Ayrshire were the only local authorities whose elected members did not attract a complaint during that period. There were three councillors investigated in Angus, four in Fife and five in Perth and Kinross but no wrong-doing was found.

Clackmannanshire Council had the highest proportion of its councillors reported, 13 out of 18 (72%), with West Lothian next on 20 out of 32 (63%) and Falkirk third from the top on 14 out of 32 (44%).

However, the vast majority of investigations have resulted in the councillors being cleared of any wrong-doing. Only 10 complaints were found to be substantiated, all involving councils in the central belt or south-west. Renfrewshire Council accounted for five of the code breaches.