Our Complaints Procedure
Here is how we will deal with a complaint from the public.
Our approach to handling complaints
- We welcome all feedback from any customer or anyone who is affected by our activity.
- If we have done something that is causing you a problem then we want to know about it in order to put things right for you.
- If we got something wrong we will admit it and apologise to you.
- If you have not received good service we need to know so that we can improve the way our services are provided.
- It may be that you expect us to do more or better than we currently do or you disagree with our policy. We record and use this feedback to see where we can improve services to better meet what customers want.
- We want to try to resolve complaints as quickly as possible and this process is designed to achieve this.
Whatever your complaint, we will treat all customers equally and fairly. All complaints will be dealt with in a consistent way.
You will not be discriminated against for making a complaint against a service.
If your complaint is about a social care service, please read the additional information about the statutory timescales and processes that apply for these complaints. Please see the attachment below
If your complaint is about a school, then you should raise it with the Head Teacher or the Chair of Governors. Support for parents can be obtained from the our Advice and Conciliation Service.
For all other complaints about our services please read on:
Answering your Complaint - What Will Happen?
Investigating Your Complaint
When can I expect an answer to my complaint?
Where little investigation is needed to fully answer your complaint, we will give you a reply within seven days of receiving it.
If your complaint is more complicated and will take longer to answer then we will contact you within seven days to tell you what is happening and who is dealing with it. We will normally give you a full answer to this type of complaint within 28 days.
Please understand that a small number of more complex complaints may take longer than 28 days to fully investigate. If this happens we will tell you why we need longer and we will propose a timetable for completing the investigation into your complaint.
Who will deal with it?
The team or service who are responsible for the matter you are raising are normally the best people to sort out a problem or explain what has happened, and learn from your experience. They should be the best people to look at your complaint and reply to you.
If the complaint is about a particular member of staff's behaviour, their manager will look at the matter and reply to you.
If you have concerns about who is handling your complaint or how they are dealing with it, then please tell us about them.
If your complaint needs an answer from two or more services then we will normally arrange for one service to coordinate the reply to you.
What will the person dealing with your complaint do?
They will keep you informed of progress.
They may contact you to clarify what your complaint is about, and to discuss what you would like done to put things right.
They will put their decision in writing to you explaining any action that is proposed to address the problems you have experienced.
They will ask you to say if you are not satisfied with the outcome or handling of your complaint and tell you about what happens if you want your complaint reviewed.
Where they agree with your complaint they will look to change what caused the complaint and the way the service is delivered.
Can anyone help or support me with my complaint?
There is a range of groups that can support you with making or pursuing a complaint - for example:
- The Citizen Advice Bureau service/Community Law Centre.
- Local voluntary organisations or specialist advocacy services.
- Translators and interpreters.
- Or someone else of your choice, eg a friend, family member or your local councillor or MP.
Review of your Complaint
If you are not happy with our answer to your complaint or the way your complaint has been investigated, we would like the chance to review your complaint to try and remedy what you are unhappy about.
A review is handled by a senior manager responsible for the service you are complaining about. To request a review of your complaint, tell the person who answered it and they will arrange for a senior manager to review it. Please tell us of the particular things that you want them to look at.
The senior manager will write to you to tell you what they will be doing and when you can expect a reply. They will write to you with their decision within 28 days of your request for a review.
What if I still feel that my complaint hasn't been dealt with fully or properly?
If you have complained to us, and are still not satisfied, you may wish to ask the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) to investigate.
The Ombudsman can look at complaints about most council services but cannot generally question what a council has done simply because you do not agree with it. There must be some fault by the council which has affected you. For example:
- administrative fault, such as the council making a mistake or not following its own rules;
- poor service or no service;
- delay; or
- bad advice.
There are some things the Ombudsman will not investigate because there is a more appropriate body to deal with your complaint, or because the Ombudsman does not have the legal power to do so. The Ombudsman will usually expect you to give the Council a reasonable opportunity (usually 12 weeks) to investigate and respond to the complaint.
For advice on making a complaint, or to make a complaint over the telephone, call the LGO Advice Team on 0845 602 1983 or 024 7682 1960. The Advice Team are available Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 5.00pm. You can also text 'call back' to 0762 480 4323.
Alternatively, you can go to the Ombudsman's website, here you will find further information about the Ombudsman's service and a complaint form to either download or complete online.
Send your complaint to the:
Local Government Ombudsman,
PO Box 4771,
Coventry,
CV4 0EH.
Fax: 024 7682 0001
Email: advice@lgo.org.uk
