Complaints process

A complaint is:

“Any expression of dissatisfaction with the Council, whether justified or not.”

We hope to resolve complaints at the earliest opportunity. If this is not possible, our complaints procedure has three stages and at each stage your complaint will be considered by someone different.

Stage 1

If you are unhappy about the service you have received or consider you have been treated unfairly, you can make a complaint. Please fill in a comments, compliments and complaints feedback form which is automatically sent to the relevant service area. You can also make your complaint by phone, email or in writing, details are at the bottom of the page.

Your complaint will be acknowledged by the appropriate service. An officer within the service will investigate and respond directly to you.

You will receive a full reply within 10 working days

We will consider your complaint closed four weeks after we send the full response letter unless you have asked for the case to be taken to stage 2.

Stage 2

If you are not happy with the response to your complaint and you feel that the problem has not been resolved you can ask that your complaint is investigated by the Head of Service of the area concerned. You will have been given the contact details for the Head of Service in the stage 1 response letter.

You will need to let us know, within 4 weeks of the stage 1 response, which bits of your complaint you feel have not been properly dealt with.

We will take your complaint seriously and respond to you within 20 working days.

Stage 3

If you feel the matter has still not been resolved after stage 2, you may ask that your complaint is investigated at stage 3. This will be investigated by the Corporate Complaints Officer or a senior officer independent of the service area concerned. You need to let us know within four weeks of our contact with you.

To do this, you need to tell us which elements of your complaint you feel we have not properly dealt with and then write to the corporate complaints officer their details are at the bottom of the page.

We will take your complaint seriously and respond to you within 20 working days after a full investigation.

Local Government Ombudsman

We aim to resolve your complaint. However if you are not satisfied with our stage 3 response you may contact the Local Government Ombudsman

Local Government Ombudsman
PO Box 4771
Coventry
CV4 0EH

By Phone: 0300 061 0614
By email: advice@lgo.org.uk
Website: link to the Local Government Ombudsman is at the bottom of the page

The Local Government Ombudsman will not take up your complaint until the council has had a fair chance to look into the matter first.

The full policy is available to download at the bottom of the page