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 Information Request (Freedom of Information Act) and related legislation.
  • concerns about potential fraud or corruption

In the event of a complaint against the Chief Executive, the organisation will decide if the complaint is investigated by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

The decision will be made by a Director and or the Monitoring officer independent of the complaint.

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 Customer Relations Management [CRM] 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 – Team Leader or Manager

The Team Leader or Manager for the relevant 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. It is very important that we understand exactly what the complaint is before we investigate.

We aim to acknowledge your complaint in writing or email 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 – Service Manager/Director

If you are not satisfied with the Team Leader or Manager’s reply, you may contact the Service Manager/Director, who will try to provide a full response within 15 working days. If their response is likely to take longer, they will contact you and agree a resolution date.

You may wish to contact the Service Manager/Director to make your first complaint, but he or she may decide to ask the appropriate Team Leader or Manager to respond directly to you.

Stage 3 – Ombudsman

If you are not satisfied with the Head of Service’s reply, you may contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

This is the independent organisation that looks into complaints against councils.

How to complain

We are happy to receive your complaint in a variety of ways.

The easiest way to submit your complaint is by setting up a MyEHDC account

Submit a complaint through your MyEHDC account

Email: email your complaint to info@easthants.gov.uk

Telephone: If you know the telephone number of the appropriate service please contact them directly. Alternatively you can call our general number 01730 266551, and ask to speak with the Operator who will then transfer you to the senior manager of that service.

Letter: address your letter to the “Team Leader or Manager”, naming the relevant
service, or to the Customer Service Manager - “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 Team Leader or Manager.

Your local Councillor: they will forward your complaint to the relevant Team Leader or Manager.

Resolving the complaint

We aim to resolve 85% of all complaints within 10 working days. Sometimes, a complicated complaint may take longer and we will discuss a revised target date with you.

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.