A COUNCIL'S entire cabinet is under investigation after claims that members broke a national code of conduct.

The complaints against seven members of Sedgefield Borough Council, including leader Brian Stephens, have been referred to the Standards Board for England.

The other six councillors involved are deputy leader Joe Chaplin, Bill Waters, Terry Ward, Lucy Hovvels, Bob Fleming and John Moran.

The seven make up the cabinet of Sedgefield Borough Council, on Prime Minister Tony Blair's constituency doorstep. If any are found to have breached the code, they could be banned from office for five years.

A spokeswoman for the Standards Board confirmed an investigation had been launched, adding: "What we are investigating is that they improperly helped to confer an advantage on named officers without impartial advice."

The Northern Echo understands part of the complaint relates to finding a successor for chief executive Norman Vaulks.

The Standards Board investigation comes after a report on the matter was referred to the council's scrutiny committee. The Labour councillors, who all strongly deny any wrongdoing, have been informed of the decision to investigate.

Sedgefield Borough Council spokesman Graham Robinson said: "The seven members totally refute the allegations. Their views will be made known to the Standards Board."

The complaint is the same against each member, but the cases will be looked at individually.

The investigation is expected to last several months.

The board will have a number of options once the investigation is completed.

It could conclude there is no evidence of a breach, or that the breach is not serious enough to warrant any action.

But the complaint could be referred to an adjudication panel, which has several powers including banning a member for up to five years in the most serious cases.