ARC Paper 6 Board Complaints Lessons Learned v11

This document contains a review of how the Cairngorms National Park Authority handled complaints against board members in July and August 2020. The review recommends that the Authority's complaints procedure continues to cover complaints against board members, and that its Code of Conduct should be updated to include a “perception test,” similar to the Councillors’ Code of Conduct. The review also suggests improvements to the complaints handling policy and procedure, clarifying how complaints are handled and outlining potential outcomes, from dismissal to referral to the Ethical Standards Commission. Finally, the review highlights the need to address several gaps in the Authority's current Code of Conduct.