Complaints Procedure

The Council has a detailed Complaints Policy v1.1.pdf 250KB which outlines the complaints procedure. The policy makes sure we properly look into your complaint and give you a considered response. 

The process is summarized below.

Stage one — Defining if a Formal Complaint is being made:

Within 5 working days of a submission of expression of dissatisfaction, by a prospective complaint being received, the Manager or Assistant Director, as the Lead Officer for the complaint, must:

• Decide if the correspondence is a Formal Complaint or a Service Request.

If it is unclear whether the request is a Formal Complaint or a Service Request, the Lead Officer MUST contact the Complainant for verification.

• If the correspondence is a Service Request the Lead Officer should deal with the matter in accordance with typical policy and/or process and notify the Complaints Monitoring Officer for amendment on the complaints register.
• If the correspondence is a Formal Complaint the Lead Officer should contact the Complaints Monitoring Officer asking them to log the Formal Complaint at Stage 1 of the Council’s Complaints Policy

Stage two — Responding to the Stage 1 Complaints

Phase 1

Once the Formal Complaint has been logged as a Stage 1 matter, the Lead Officer has 10 working days to issue a formal response. The Lead Officer should now:

• Issue Acknowledgement Letter to the Complainant
• Begin investigating the complaint and collating a response using the Stage 1 Complaint Response Letter
• Where a Complainant raises additional complaints during the investigation, these must be incorporated into the Stage 1 response, if they are related, and the Stage 1 response has not been issued.
• Where the Stage 1 response has already been issued, the Lead Officer should only deal with the new elements of the complaint.

If there is any uncertainty about any aspect of the complaint, the Lead Officer MUST seek clarification from the Complainant at the earliest opportunity.

Extension Requests

The Lead Officer may require an extension in relation to complex complaints. In such cases an extension can be applied of up to 10 working days. The Complainant should be informed of the reason for the delay, expected timescale for response, and be provided with contact details of the Ombudsman.

Any further extensions beyond 20 working days must be agreed by your Assistant Director and only in exceptional circumstances.

The Complainant should be informed of the reason for the delay and expected timescale for response. 

Phase 2

Once the Lead Officer has completed the Stage 1 investigation, they should complete the Stage 1 Complaint Response Letter.

A copy of the Stage 1 Response Letter should be given to the Manager for review and sign-off. 

Once signed by the relevant Manager, a copy should be given to the Council’s Complaints Monitoring Officer for reference and records.

Where the Complainant raises additional complaints during the investigation, these must be incorporated into the Stage 1 response; if the matter is related and a stage 1 response has not been issued.  If the new issues are unrelated to the issues being investigated or if it would unreasonably delay a stage 1 response, then it must be logged as a new complaint.

 

Stage 3 – Escalation Requests – Responding to Stage 2 Complaints

Phase 1

If the Complainant is dissatisfied with the Stage 1 response, they may seek to escalate to Stage 2 of the complaints.

• The Complainant does NOT have to explain their reasons for making a Stage 2 request and it must be acknowledged within five working days of the request being received by the Complaint Monitoring Officer.
• The Council is expected to make reasonable efforts to understand why the Complainant remains unhappy as part of the Stage 2 response. 
• Stage 2 requests are carried out by either the Chief Executive, unless it is delegated to one of the Directors, and must not be the same person that considered or has been involved in the complaint at Stage 1.

Phase 2

Once the request has been logged as a Stage 2 matter, a final response should be issued within 20 working days of the complaint being acknowledged.  The Chief Executive will begin investigating the complaint and collating a response using the Stage 2 Complaint Response Letter.  If information is requested by the Chief Executive, Officers must provide the information promptly.

Phase 3

Where a Complainant raises additional complaints during the investigation, these must be incorporated into the Stage 2 response if they are related, and the Stage 2 response has not been issued. If the new issues are unrelated to the issues being investigated or if it would unreasonably delay a stage 2 response, then it must be logged as a new complaint.

If there is any uncertainty about any aspect of the complaint, clarification must be sought from the Complainant at the earliest opportunity.

Extension Requests

The Lead Officer may require an extension in relation to complex complaints. In such cases an extension can be applied of up to 10 working days. The Complainant should be informed of the reason for the delay, expected timescale for response, and be provided with contact details of the Ombudsman.

Phase 4

Once the Chief Executive has completed the Stage 2 investigation, they should complete the Stage 2 Complaint Response Letter.

A copy of the Stage 2 Response Letter should be given to the Complaints Monitoring Officer for reference and record. 

If the Complainant remains dissatisfied with the Stage 2 response, they must be sign-posted to the relevant Ombudsman for further consideration