A politician from Newport wants to introduce firm deadlines for elected officials to reply to residents’ requests.

During a standards committee meeting, Cllr Debbie Harvey described it as shocking that people sending messages to their local representatives might never receive a reply.

Her concerns emerged after she learned that a voter had filed a complaint with Wales’ public services ombudsman against a councillor whose identity was not disclosed, accusing them of ignoring communications and refusing to participate.

However, monitoring officer Mike Wallbank indicated the ombudsman refused to take up the case, pointing out that councillors typically have no legal requirement to respond to or interact with members of the public.

The ombudsman acknowledged the resident may have felt aggrieved by the absence of a reply, yet stated individual councillors decide for themselves how they interact with residents.

Cllr Harvey expressed that failing to acknowledge contact from a member of the public would amount to rudeness.

Mr Wallbank responded that the ombudsman had confirmed members bear no responsibility to reply to messages, with engagement methods left to their discretion.

He explained the underlying principle is that voters will deliver their verdict at election time, so a representative who ignores communications for a full parliamentary term would likely face rejection at the polls.

Mr Wallbank added the ombudsman did comment the conduct could be seen as impolite, yet it did not constitute a violation of the council’s standards, even if it was not optimal.

Cllr Harvey questioned whether the code of conduct could include a stipulation requiring councillors to adhere to a five working-day response requirement for residents.

She argued this situation damages Newport Council’s reputation, as residents perceive them as council employees.

Mr Wallbank indicated the council could explore implementing such deadlines, either through the code of conduct or as formal guidance.

However, he cautioned that the council was dealing with a rise in unreasonable complaints from a tiny fraction of individuals.

He stressed the need to avoid placing representatives in an impossible situation, emphasising that any solution must be carefully considered to prevent creating unintended problems for elected officials.