THE COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

What do I do if I wish to complain about a Council service or the way I have been treated by any of the staff?

You should write, telephone or visit the Department concerned, indicating that you are making a complaint and giving us full details and, of course, your name and address.

If you are unsure of the Department to contact you can telephone the Council's Direct Dial Complaints Line or write to the Chief Executive at the Town Hall who will pass your letter on to the Chief Officer of the Department concerned. Details of all Council Departments' addresses and telephone numbers can be found on the Contact Us page, or you can telephone our dedicated complaints line on 01424 787830.

The Council will normally reply to your complaint within 10 working days. Usually this will be by letter but might involve a telephone call or personal visit. If you are calling personally at the Council Offices, the situation might be resolved on the spot.

If the issue you have raised is complicated or involves more than one Department you will first receive a written acknowledgement to let you know there will be a delay and how long it will take to send you a full written reply. We aim to let you have a substantive reply within 20 working days.

What do I do if I am not happy with the reply?

If you feel that the reply is not acceptable, you can take the matter further by writing to the Chief Executive. This should be done by letter setting out the reasons why you feel the original reply is unsatisfactory. The Chief Executive will review the matter and reply with his conclusion as quickly as possible.

What do I do next if I am still not satisfied?

You can contact one of your local Councillors, the names of whom are available upon request to the Chief Executive. Again, you should explain your complaint and indicate why you are not happy with the reply you have received. The Councillor will look into your complaint and discuss it with the Department concerned. In some cases the Councillor may be able to finalise the matter within a few days but if you have raised a matter of policy, this may require further consideration by a Committee. If that is the case, this will be explained to you.

So what do I do if I've got this far and I am still not satisfied?

We hope that this situation will be rare. In some cases we may have to ask you to accept a decision as being a result of financial, legal or wider policy implications.

In extreme cases, however, where you feel that the Council might have been guilty of maladministration, you can send your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman.

Maladministration is where a Council:

The Local Government Ombudsman is not there to question what a Council has done just because someone does not agree with the Council. There must be a complaint that something went wrong, causing injustice to the person who has complained.

A booklet on the role of the Local Government Ombudsman, is available from the Town Hall, Bexhill?on-Sea, or from the Help and Advice Centre at 6 Market Square, Battle and 48 Cinque Ports Street, Rye. You can also write to the Chief Executive for a copy, or telephone the Complaints Line.

The Ombudsman is at: 10th Floor, Millbank Tower, Millbank, London SW1P 4QP Telephone: 020 7217 4620 Fax: 020 7217 4621.

You also have the right to complain to the District Auditor concerning the financial affairs of the Council. The District Auditor is at: 20 St. Peter Street, Winchester, Hants, S023 8BP Telephone: 01962 852717.

COMPLAINTS FORM

If you would like to complain to the Council you can do so using our "Comments and Complaints" form online. Alternatively you can download the form, fill it in and post it to us.