Policies - Complaints Procedure - Guide to the council's complaints procedure
Complaints?
A guide to East Hampshire District Council’s Complaints Procedure
What this policy covers
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about a council service that requires a response. We make no distinction between a ‘formal’ and an ‘informal’ complaint.
This policy covers general complaints to the council about its own services. It does not cover complaints that are covered by other rules, such as:
• Planning appeals.
• Benefits entitlement appeals.
• Council tax or business rates liability appeals.
• Complaints about councillor conduct.
• Reviews of decisions under the Freedom of Information Act and related legislation.
• Concerns about potential fraud or corruption.
Why is this important?
We aim to provide good quality services. Unfortunately, things go wrong sometimes. It is really important for us to know when things do not go well, so that we can try to resolve any problems and learn from them.
For this reason, we have a complaints process. We log complaints on our comments system and report regularly to councillors and managers on how we are doing.
How we try to resolve your complaint
Before making a complaint, call the council service direct as it may be possible to resolve the problem immediately without having to go through the complaints process. If this is not possible or you are unhappy with the response then the stages below outline our complaints process.
Stage 1 – Head of Service
The senior manager of the relevant service (“Head of Service”), will receive your complaint. He or she will oversee the investigation and respond directly to you. He or she may need to contact you to clarify the details of your complaint. If this is done by telephone, he or she will follow this up with a letter or email. It is very important that we understand exactly what the complaint is before we investigate.
We aim to acknowledge your complaint in writing within 3 working days and provide an answer within 10 working days. Sometimes, a complicated complaint may take longer. We will keep you informed if this happens.
Stage 2 – Chief Executive
If you are not satisfied with the Head of Service’s reply, you may contact the Chief Executive, who will try to provide a full response within 10 working days.
You may wish to contact the Chief Executive to make your first complaint, but she may decide to ask the appropriate Head of Service to respond directly to you.
Stage 3 – Ombudsman
If you are not satisfied with the Chief Executive’s reply, you may contact the Local Government Ombudsman. This is the independent organisation that looks into complaints against councils.
You may obtain a leaflet about the Ombudsman at one of our offices, by calling us or by visiting www.lgo.org.uk/making-a-complaint.
How to complain
We are happy to receive your complaint in a variety of ways.
Website: fill in the complaints form on the council website.
Email: email your complaint to info@easthants.gov.uk
Telephone: if you know it, call the telephone number of the appropriate service, or call our general number 01730 266551, and ask to speak with the senior manager of that service
Letter: address your letter to the “Head of Service”, naming the relevant service, or to “Complaints” at East Hampshire District Council, Penns Place, Petersfield, GU31 4EX
In person: phone first to make an appointment if you wish to discuss your complaint with the appropriate Head of Service.
Through your local councillor: they will forward your complaint to the relevant head of service.
Resolving the complaint
We aim to resolve 85% of all complaints within 10 working days. Sometimes, a complicated complaint may take longer. We regularly monitor this target to make sure complaints are resolved as quickly as possible.
We will work closely with you to get at the heart of the problem and do whatever we can to put things right. We will apologise if we have let you down and learn from our mistakes.
Review
We will review this policy at least once every two years. We will also occasionally seek feedback from complainants about the process to make sure that you are being treated fairly and complaints are dealt with professionally.
Owner: Head of Environmental Services (Policy Created: 1st April 1998)