How to complain,
comment or compliment
about Council Services in
Corby
NOVEMBER 2007
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1. Introduction
We hope that the services you receive from us are of the quality you need and
expect. However, we know that there may be times when you are unhappy
with the service you receive and wish to lodge a formal complaint. You may
want to suggest a way to improve services, make a comment on the services
you receive, or compliment the Council on the service you have received.
The people who can best deal with most concerns are those who provide the
service. We can normally sort out mistakes and misunderstandings quickly.
However, if we cannot sort out your problem this way, the complaints
procedure is here to help you. Your complaints are important to us. They help
us to:
Put things right if they go wrong
Listen and learn; and
Change and improve the way we provide services.
So don’t be worried about telling us your concerns. Comments and
compliments are also welcomed as they help us to improve our service and
let us know when we are doing things right.
2. What is a complaint?
A complaint can be defined as any
expression of dissatisfaction regarding
a service provided by, or on behalf of, the council. A complaint
does not
include:
First requests for a service or first reports of faults;
Requests for information on, or a clearer explanation of our policies;
Matters for which there is a right of appeal with the Council, or a
legal solution.
3. Who can complain, comment or compliment?
Anyone who feels they have had a poor service from us, or from someone
providing the service for us, and have tried to get the problem solved by
speaking to someone in the relevant department, Councillor etc.
4. How to complain?
If you do choose to make a complaint the Council guarantees:
Every effort and action is made to resolve the complaint;
An apology if a service performed was not up to standard;
A full written response.
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5. Ways to contact the Council?
We want to make it as easy for you as possible to let us know if you feel that
something has gone wrong. If you want to make a complaint you can contact
the Council in several ways:
In
person
By
letter
By e-mail on [email address]
By typetalk 18001 – 01536 402551
By
internet
www.corby.gov.uk
On the Councils Complaint Form, or Comments and Compliments
Form, which are at the back of this booklet
Through someone else, a Councillor, solicitor, friend or relative.
The Council can also accept complaints made anonymously and can still
investigate the matter even though it cannot respond to the complaint.
6. What will happen when I make a complaint?
We have a simple three-stage procedure for complaints, including:
1st Stage
When your complaint is received by the Council, the nature and type of
the complaint will be assessed by the relevant senior manager. The
complaint will be recorded and given a unique complaint number (which
will be used until the complaint is resolved.) This will help us track the
progress of your complaint and assist you, if for some reason you need
to contact the Council again. The relevant senior officer will then make
any investigations and enquiries necessary to resolve your complaint,
and respond in writing to your complaint.
2nd Stage
If you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint, if you have a
further complaint, or the complaint is of a more complex nature, for
example regarding the conduct of an individual employee, further
investigation will be required. You will be sent an acknowledgement letter
within 5 working days whilst the matter is being investigated by the Chief
Executive’s Office.
3rd Stage
Once the Council has given its final response, and you are still not
satisfied, the complaint can then be made to the Local Government
Ombudsman (Forms available from: Local Government Ombudsman,
The Oaks No 2, Westwood Way, Westwood Business Park, Coventry,
CV4 8JB).
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7. Nominated Complaints Officers
The Council has a number of senior managers who will deal with customer
enquiries, complaints and compliments. You may wish to contact the Officer in
the service that closely matches your complaint.
Please see below:
Service Area
Type of Service
Contact Details
Culture and
Leisure and sports centres,
Chris Stephenson
Leisure
parks etc
E-mail: [email address]
Phone: 01536 464041.
Neighbourhood
Homelessness, housing
Angela Warburton
Pride
allocations, housing needs and E-Mail:
advice and repairs, home swaps [email address]
& exchanges community safety, Phone 01536 464003
Anti Social Behaviour, CCTV
Environmental
Refuse Collection, street
Iain Smith
Quality
cleansing, grass cutting, fly
E-mail:[email address]
tipping, graffiti removal, taxis
Phone: 01536 464061
and private hire vehicles, food
safety, health and safety,
licenses of premises/vehicles,
pollution control, pest control,
private sector housing,
corporate maintenance of
buildings.
Regeneration
Development control, building
Rebecca Yee
and Growth
control, conservation, listed
E-mail: rebecca.yee.gov.uk
buildings, building maintenance, Phone: 01536 463186
tree preservations, regeneration
projects
Human
Recruitment, training, and
Sarah Rodmell
Resources
personnel matters.
E-mail: [email address]
Phone: 01536 464032
Legal and
Legal, land charges, house
Simon Aley
Democratic
sales, Committee and Elections, E-mail: [email address]
Services
Freedom of Information/Data
Phone: 01536 464024
Protection
Financial
Income collection, benefits,
Adrian Sibley
Services
Council Tax, NNDR (Business
E-mail: [email address]
Rates), invoicing, insurance
Phone: 01536 464125
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Peter Griggs
Special Projects
Regeneration projects,
E-Mail
:
building/capital projects – civic
[email address]
hub, swimming pool etc.
Phone 01536 464031
Helen Freeman
Chief Executives
Corporate and council wide
E-Mail:
[email address]
Office
services and policy issues
Phone: 01536 464673
Customer First
One Stop Shop, ICT and E-
Tim Marren
Government initiatives.
E-Mail: [email address]
Phone: 01536 464676
8. Complaints Handing - Types and Categories of Complaint
The Council aims to deal with the complaints it receives in a fair honest and
consistent manner. To achieve this we have set the following response times
to complaints/comments etc:
a) Acknowledgement letter within
5 working days;
b) Formal response to complaints within
10 working days;
c) Formal response to complex complaints (exceptional cases) within 20
working days;
d) Comments, compliments or suggestions about our services will be
dealt with in a similar way. They will be acknowledged within 5 working
days, with any explanation necessary about why and how we perform
our services, and in some cases why we cannot;
e) Service request will be dealt within service target times.
If you consider your complaint to be related to racial discrimination or related
to your sexuality, please indicate this on the Council’s Complaint Form by
ticking the appropriate box. Your complaint will then be investigated
accordingly. Further guidance can be found in the Council’s Race Equality
Scheme.
9. Local Government Ombudsman
There is a right of appeal to the Local Government Ombudsman if you are still
not satisfied with the Council’s response. The Local Government Ombudsman
is an independent national service, which investigates complaints against
Council’s. You can complain to the ombudsman at any time. You can contact
the Local Government Ombudsman at:
Local Government Ombudsman,
The Oaks No 2,
Westwood Way, Westwood Business Park,
Coventry CV4 8JB.
Phone: 024 7682 0000.
Fax: 024 7682 0001. Website: www.lgo.org.uk
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10. Freedom of Information
If you make a Freedom of Information Request the standard requirements
need to be met in regard to type of request, potential costs, timescales and
response rates. The latter currently set by legislation at 20 working days as
covered in Corby Borough Councils Freedom of Information policies and
procedures.
If your complaint is about handling a Freedom of Information request then in
the first instance:
a) Specify on the complaints form enclosed your issues returning to the
Council’s Legal and Democratic Services Area, contact details
enclosed with this booklet;
b) Contact our Legal and Democratic Services Area direct who will be
able to assist you, contact details enclosed with this booklet.
After this if any issues remain you can also contact the Information
Commissioner’s Office (ICO) who provides support and assistance on
Freedom of Information matters at:
Information Commissioner’s Office,
Wycliffe House,
Water Lane,
Wilmslow,
Cheshire.
SK9 5AF
Tel No 08456 30 60 60
Website: www.ico.gov.uk.
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CORBY BOROUGH COUNCIL
COMPLAINT FORM
INTRODUCTION
Use this form when you think:
We have done something wrong;
We have failed to do something;
We have treated you unfairly or discourteously.
Please read the leaflet ‘How to complain’ before completing this form.
Your Contact Details:
Your Name:
Your Telephone Numbers:
……………………………………….
Home …………………………………
Work ………………………………….
Mobile ………………………………..
Your Address:
………………………………………
Your e-mail address:
………………………………………
………………………………………
…………………………………………
………………………………………
………………………………………
………………………………………
Post Code ……………………….
Which Service Area are you complaining about? (Please see the leaflet
‘How to complain’ for a summary of services provided by each area).
What is your complaint about? (Please continue on a separate sheet if
required).
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………
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If you consider your complaint to be related to Racial Discrimination please tick this box.
When and how did you first tell the Council about this complaint?
Date ………………………..
How ?
Visiting the
This is the first
offices
By
Telephone
time I have
complained
Other (please State).
………………………………………………
………………………………………………
Have you contacted the Council about
………………………………………………
this Complaint since then?
Name of Officers involved (if known)
………………………………………………
Yes
No
………………………………………………
………………………………………………
What do you think that the Council should do to solve your complaint?
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
If you have any documents to support your complaint please enclose these. Please tick the
box if you would like them returned.
To be signed by the person making the complaint
Signed
Date
……………………………………… ………………………………………
PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM AS DIRECTED TO THE SENIOR
MANAGER FOR YOUR COMPLAINT AREA (SEE ‘HOW TO COMPLAIN’),
CORBY BOROUGH COUNCIL, FREEPOST, CORBY, NN17 1BR (YOU DO
NOT NEED A STAMP)
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CORBY BOROUGH COUNCIL
COMMENTS AND COMPLIMENTS FORM
Use this form if you have a comment or compliment to make
about Corby Borough Council and the services it provides
please complete this form
Name
Your Telephone Numbers:
………………………………………..
Home …………………………………
Address
………………………………………………………
Work ………………………………….
………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………
Mobile ………………………………..
………………………………………………………
Your e-mail address
………………………………………………………
Post C
…………………………………………
ode ………………………………………
Comment or Compliment (Please continue
on a separate sheet if required)
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
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…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………………………
PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM TO CORBY BOROUGH COUNCIL, ONE STOP SHOP,
……………………………………………………
GROSVENOR HOUSE, GEORGE
…………………………
STREET, CORBY, NN17 1QB …………
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Access
to
Information
English
If you need help understanding any of our documents or require a larger print,
audiotape copy or a translator to help you, we can arrange this for you.
Please contact us on the telephone numbers at the bottom of the page:
Polish
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Portuguese
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Telephone Numbers:
01536 464000 -ENGLISH
01536 464290 - POLSKI (POLISH)
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01536 464292 - PORTUGUÊS (PORTUGUESE)
01536 464293 - SRPSKI ILI HRVATSKI (SERBO - CROATIAN)
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