A standards watchdog has amassed a backlog of dozens of unresolved complaints against councilllors - with some remaining on the books for six years.
Some 66 complaints have been made to the Northern Ireland Local Government Commissioner for Standards which have yet to be concluded.
One of the outstanding complaints was received back in 2016, two were submitted in 2017 and 24 in 2018, according to figures obtained by Belfast Live.
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Eight complaints date back to 2019, five were received in 2020, 11 in 2021 and 15 so far this year.
Just nine of the complaints have reached adjudication, the final stage of the complaints process where the commissioner may conduct a formal hearing following an investigation.
More than three-quarters (50 complaints) are still under investigation, while five are at the preliminary assessment phase. Two complaints are initial enquiries where the watchdog is still awaiting full papers.
The complaints have been consolidated into a total of 35 open cases which remain on the watchdog's books, according to a Freedom of Information response.
The backlog includes former DUP councillor Luke Poots, under investigation since 2018 following complaints over his alleged involvement in planning decisions lobbied for by his father, DUP minister Edwin Poots.
The probe included a planning decision quashed in the High Court last year in a case that cost ratepayers £62,500.
Mr Poots, who had chaired Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council's planning committee, has previously insisted he had "done everything by the book".
Alliance MLA Patrick Brown has also been under investigation by the watchdog for allegedly disclosing confidential information from a staff recruitment process when he was a councillor.
The complaint arose following the appointment in 2019 of Marie Ward as chief executive of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
It was claimed Mr Brown, who was not on the assessment panel, allegedly disclosed online the way in which he understood rival parties involved in the process had voted.
Alliance has said it cannot comment on any investigations until a determination is made.
Former independent Belfast councillor Jolene Bunting, who caused controversy over her involvement with far-right group Britain First, has not been an elected rep since losing her seat 2019 but is still under investigation.
She is accused of breaching the councillor code of conduct in several areas including bringing her role or Belfast City Council into disrepute.
According to the commissioner's latest annual report, there were 48 complaints against councillors received in 2020-21 compared to 41 in 2019-20. The highest number was 62 in 2018-19.
A spokesman for the standards commissioner apologised to councillors who have faced an "unacceptable delay" in the conclusion of investigations.
He said: "Being the subject of a complaint can be distressing and difficult and NILGCS accepts that when there is delay this distress can be compounded."
The spokesman said factors causing the backlog include the complexity of some cases, delays in the submission of evidence and the extent of cooperation with the investigations.
Staff absences, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and ongoing legal proceedings have also affected some cases.
He added: "More recently progress has been made in closing some of these older cases. In the first six months of this year a total of 17 investigations have been closed by the team, in comparison with 23 for the whole of 2021-22.
"Plans are also in place to engage with the local government sector and other interested groups on how the understanding of the code of conduct can be improved."
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