 Our different experiences and backgrounds inform our view of the world and what's important to us. These differences make our world and Wales a vibrant and exciting place. As representatives of their community, every councillor brings a unique perspective that helps them work hard to serve their communities and improve the lives of the people who live there. Regardless of different backgrounds or alternative views, councillors must respect each other and listen to their colleagues with an open mind. How councillors interact with each other and the public is a key part of maintaining public trust so that councillors can get on with the important business of delivering positive change to the communities they serve. Any behaviour that jeopardises that trust will be dealt with. Before taking office, every councillor must agree in writing to the Ethical Standards Framework and Code of Conduct based on the Nolan Principles. Selflessness, honesty, openness, accountability, leadership, objectivity, integrity. By signing the Code of Conduct, councillors agree to behave according to these principles which govern how everyone in public life should behave and act. Councillors can only do their work if the public trusts them. Any behaviour that undermines their confidence and acts against the principles may result in severe consequences. Disagreements are part of everyday life and healthy debate is important for councillors to work together and reach the best decisions but abuse, bullying or harassment are always unacceptable. Your colleagues have unique insights into areas you might not have considered. Listening to them can lead to out-of-the-box solutions which help everybody. Equally, isolating and disrespecting colleagues' differences act against the public's best interest and creates a culture that's stressful and harmful to your peers. As a councillor, the public is interested in how you behave inside and outside official duties. Social media means that incidents can reach far further afield than intended, resulting in even greater scrutiny. As a public figure, your behaviour can affect the public's opinion of you and your fellow councillors. The councillor may use local resolution procedures to consider any complaints made by a councillor about another councillor's behaviour. If the complaint cannot be dealt with this way, the councillor can complain to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales, PSOW. Complaints made by the public are dealt with by the PSOW. If they decide an investigation is necessary, they will tell the complainant and the member that's been complained about. If they conclude that the Code of Conduct may have been breached, then depending on the nature of the complaint, it may be referred to the relevant County Council Standards Committee, or an independent tribunal called the Adjudication Panel for Wales, which may issue the councillor a sanction which can range from a censure to suspension or disqualification from being a councillor for a period of up to five years. You are required to report any conduct by another councillor that you reasonably believe has broken the Code of Conduct to the council's monitoring officer. Support and training are available to help councillors understand areas where they need to be sensitive to other cultures and how to deal with bullying and harassment. Recognising and celebrating our differences is integral to encouraging a broad range of election candidates who reflect Wales' diverse and dynamic population. For information on how to make a complaint, please visit the PSOW's website.