Comments, Compliments and Complaints
Comments, Compliments and Complaints
Breckland Council is committed to high standards of customer care, service delivery and performance. Your comments and suggestions are important because they help us to know where we need to improve.
If you are unhappy with any service you have received from Breckland Council we want to put things right as quickly as possible. To enable us to do this please follow the complaints procedure detailed below;
Equally, if you feel you have received particularly good service we would like to hear from you.
Contact form for comments, compliments and complaints
How can I leave a comment, give a compliment or make a complaint?
What will happen after I have made a formal complaint?
What can I complain about?
There is sometimes confusion about what constitutes a complaint. When does a request for service or an objection to a decision or policy become a complaint? The Council needs to be clear about whether it has received a complaint, rather than a request for a service or a request for an explanation of a decision. This allows us to ensure that the appropriate action is taken.
Complaint:
The Commission for Local Administration in England has produced guidance on running a complaints system and suggests that Councils have a definition of what is a complaint. Breckland Council’s description of a complaint is (taken from the Commission’s Guidance on running a complaints system – Guidance on good practice):
An expression of dissatisfaction about service, action or lack of action, however made, provided directly by the Council or by a contractor or partner, affecting an individual resident or a group of residents, that requires a response.
The following are the categories of complaints that fall within this procedure.
- Failure to consider relevant matters in coming to a decision or implementing it – but not the decision itself.
- Employee attitudes and the actions of individual employees – but not if the complaint is really about a Council policy or decision.
- Delays in responding, or complaints about the administrative process.
- Failure to provide a service properly or at all – e.g. not doing something we either should do or have advised the resident we will do. An example could include not turning up for a pre-arranged meeting.
- Failure to fulfil statutory responsibilities – but not disagreements with those powers or duties.
- Bias or unfair discrimination.
Request for Service:
A request for service is where the Council is asked to provide something or to comment on something it has done. Examples of this could include:
- Requests for application forms, new bins or visits by the pest control service.
- Clarification on how a decision was reached.
- Help and/or advice – e.g. why can’t I pay my Council Tax later than the date specified; my bin was not emptied and the refuse crew left a leaflet explaining why and I don’ t understand it.
- Please can you do something because my neighbours are carrying on a business at their home/having bonfires/making a noise?
A request for service only becomes a complaint when you feel that the Council has not dealt with your request in a proper manner or at all.
Comment:
A comment is something the Council has received that does not necessarily require a response; examples could be compliments, comments about a planning application, costs of services (pest control, building inspection visits, etc.).
What can’t I complain about?
Exclusions:
The Council’s complaints procedure will not to be used for the following:
- Complaints which are essentially disagreements with statutory powers or duties, council policies or decisions in themselves, rather than the way they have been carried out
- Complaints against individual employees which arise directly from the resident’s dissatisfaction with a Council policy or decision
- A planning or development control matter, or housing or council tax benefit or homelessness matter where a right of objection exists, unless the complaint relates specifically to the way the matter has been administered
- A matter which is, or could reasonably be, the subject of court or tribunal proceedings, or which is in the hands of the Council’s insurers.
- Complaints about district, town or parish councillors are dealt with using a seperate process. Click here for the Councillor complaint process.
How can I leave a Comment, give a Compliment or make a Complaint?
Please use one of the following methods:
Web: using the online contact form
E-mail: complaints@breckland.gov.uk
Telephone: 01362 656870
Writing to: The Standards Officer, Breckland Council, Elizabeth House, Walpole Loke, Dereham, Norfolk, NR19 1EE
What will happen after I have made a formal complaint?
We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 5 working days of receipt. All complaints will be investigated and responded to within 15 working days. Some complaints may take more time to investigate, but we will keep you informed of our actions and the progress we have made.
Your complaint will be passed to the Manager of the service area which you have complained about and they will investigate your complaint and respond to you.
If the complaint is about the actions of a member of staff, the member of staff’s Head of Service will investigate your complaint and respond direct to you. If your complaint is about a Head of Service, then your complaint will be passed to the Chief Executive, Deputy Chief Executive or Director, as appropriate.
Should you be dissatisfied with the response you receive you may wish to make a further complaint. You should send your complaint, using the methods as detailed above, giving your reason(s) why you are dissatisfied.
Your complaint will be acknowledged and forwarded to the Head of Service which you have complained about. The Head of Service will fully investigate your complaint and reply direct to you.
Should you be dissatisfied with the response from the Head of Service, you may wish to make a further formal complaint. You should send your complaint, using the methods as detailed above, giving your reason(s) why you are dissatisfied.
Your complaint will be acknowledged and an independent person within the Council will investigate your complaint and respond to you.
If, after following all of the above steps, you remain unhappy, you may refer the matter to the Local Government Ombudsman for an independent investigation. The Ombudsman’s contact details are:
Telephone: 0300 061 0614
Website: www.lgo.org.uk
Fax: 024 7682 0001
Write to: Local Government Ombudsman, P. O. Box 4771, Coventry, CV4 0EH
