More Than 20 Complaints Made Against Havering Councillors Over The Past 18 Months.
More than 20 complaints have been made about Havering councillors in the past 18 months, a new report reveals, writes Sebastian Mann.
An anonymised list – which refers to councillors as Cllr A, Cllr B, etc – was published by Havering Council this week, covering grievances raised between 1st April 2025 and 1st October 2026.
The majority of the 21 complaints, relating to 24 councillors in total, were lodged by members of the public. Four related to councillors elected after the May elections, which saw Reform take control of the town hall.
They raised concerns about social media arguments, “disparaging comments” made in emails, allegations of racism, and the handling of a neighbourly dispute.
Others were less serious. One resident complained that a councillor had shown support for a council-backed data centre in North Ockendon, while others were upset that members had not responded to their emails.
Councillor Keith Prince, leader of the council, said: “We take these matters extremely seriously and where there were complaints against councillors, they were handled in line with the Councillors’ Code of Conduct and related complaints procedure.
“It is important to recognise that complaints can arise for a variety of reasons, including being politically motivated.
“Each complaint is nevertheless assessed on its individual merits in accordance with the established procedure and where members are found to have breached the Code of Conduct, the council takes it very seriously.”
Four councillors were made to apologise for their conduct, following internal investigations by the town hall.
In July 2025, a council officer and three elected officials complained about a councillor’s behaviour at an overview and scrutiny meeting, where members debate policies before they are green-lit.
The following month, two councillors raised a formal complaint over “Cllr K” removing political posters from shops. They were ordered to apologise in February.
The other two complaints were lodged a day apart. On 25th November, a councillor complained that a colleague had made “rude gestures at a church service”. The following day, a councillor and a resident complained about “Cllr P” shouting and making accusations of corruption.
Both were made to say sorry in January.
Two resident complaints are still being investigated.
The first involves “Cllr W” and relates to their comments on social media, while “Cllr X’s” involvement in an “operational matter” is being reviewed.
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