A COUNCILLOR who has been the subject of an investigation into his conduct has called for an overhaul of the complaints process.

Bill Blenkinsopp says the Standards Board for England is being used as a means to settle old scores with political rivals, rather than a method for raising genuine concerns.

Councillor Blenkinsopp, who represents Aycliffe on Durham county and Sedgefield borough councils, said: "I think the Government needs to look again at the standards board. You can make allegations now and not put your name to it, and that is what has been done against me.

"If people have got a vendetta against an individual, they will simply report them to the Standards Board, and there is too much money being spent looking into false allegations.

"If there's a genuine case it's the best way to deal with it, but we're sometimes having to wait a year for the decision and it means an awful lot of taxpayer's money is being spent." The board's ethical officer has decided to take no action against Coun Blenkinsopp after considering a complaint against him, despite ruling that he broke one element of the code of conduct.

The complaint was that Coun Blenkinsopp failed to treat a tenant with respect by contacting a housing association and accusing her of anti-social behaviour.

But the officer said he had merely raised residents' concerns, part of his duties as a councillor, and that there was no evidence he had done that in a disrespectful way.

The officer also considered an allegation that Coun Blenkinsopp, who lives in Aycliffe Village, had disclosed confidential information about the tenant's child, who had been excluded from school.

He said that the details given by Coun Blenkinsopp, who was acting in his capacity as a school governor, was "intrinsically confidential" and constituted a breach of the code.

A complaint that the councillor made false accusations about the child to jeopardise the tenancy was also considered.

A report into the allegations says: "The information given to the housing association was not false and did not endanger the tenancy.

"The ethical standards officer therefore concluded that Coun Blenkinsopp did not act improperly to confer a disadvantage on the tenant."