Guide to the Council's Complaints Procedure

Tendring District Council seeks to provide quality, cost-effective services to the people of Tendring and welcomes feedback and suggestions from service-users. We are constantly working to improve the services we provide and, if you believe you have not received the level of service you would expect, we ask you to tell us about it. Your complaints provide us with information not only about where things may be going wrong, but also about what you think of us. They serve as an excellent way for us to monitor and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of all our services.

The purpose of this page is to tell you:

1. How to complain to the Council;
2. How we will deal with your complaint; and
3. What to do if you remain dissatisfied.

The following information is also available as a ' How to Complain to the Council' Booklet (link will open a pdf document) in large print or audio versions and in different languages.

1. How to Complain

How do I make a complaint?

If you feel the Council has done something wrong or badly, or failed to do something, the first thing you should do is contact the officer you have been dealing with. You should ask them to put things right for you or explain why the Council has acted in this way. If you remain dissatisfied, you may wish to make a formal complaint by following the advice on this page.

To help us deal effectively with your complaint you will need to tell us:

What the problem is and how it has occurred

How it has affected you

What you consider we should now do to put the matter right

What can I complain about?

A complaint must be about something specific. It is most likely to be about one or more of the following:

• the standard of service provided by the Council
• failure by the Council to provide an agreed service
• failure by the Council to respond to a request for a service
• that the Council has exceeded its powers
• that the attitude or conduct of an officer has been unacceptable
• the Council has not followed an agreed procedure
• maladministration by the Council (ie delay, muddle, bias or confusion)

What can I not complain about?

This procedure does not cover:

• requests for a service
• requests for information or an explanation of Council policy or practice
• matters for which there is an existing right of appeal (either within the Council itself or to an independent tribunal) or legal remedy
• complaints about Councillors
• complaints made more than 6 months after the events complained about unless there are exceptional circumstances as to why the complaint could not have brought within this time.

If, after reading the guidance above, you are not sure if your "complaint" is covered by this procedure, please complete the Complaints Form and send it to the Council's Monitoring Officer. They will look into the matter and notify you accordingly.

Complaints about Councillors are dealt with by the Standards Committee and are handled differently, but, in the first instance, you should address the complaint about a Councillor to the Council's Monitoring Officer. A leaflet explaining how to make a complaint about a Member of Tendring District Council can be downloaded by following the link below

Complaints about Councillors

2. How will you deal with my complaint?

Complaints differ widely in nature and complexity and in dealing with any complaints made in accordance with the Complaints Procedure we will seek to apply three basic principles:

1. To investigate a complaint as quickly and impartially as possible. This will initially be done by the department concerned.
2. To provide you with a full response that outlines the findings of the investigation and, wherever possible, resolves the matter to your satisfaction
3. To keep the steps of the Complaints Procedure, as set out below, separate from each other

What are the steps of the Complaints Procedure?

You should first contact the officer you have been dealing with and explain the issue to them. The officer you talk to may be able to help you there and then, or at least indicate if the matter can be resolved.

Step 1 Formal Complaint

If you are not satisfied, you should speak to the officer's line manager. They will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receipt and will provide you with a full response within 10 working days of receipt. Where appropriate, the Council may ask another line manager to investigate a particular complaint.

Step 2 Formal Written Complaint - Investigation by Head of Department

If you are not satisfied with the response you have received, you should complete ALL the questions on the Complaints Form and send this to the relevant Head of Department. They will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receipt and will provide you with a full response within 10 working days of receipt. If the Head of Department needs longer to complete their investigation, they will inform you of this in writing and provide you with reasons. Where appropriate, the Council may ask another Head of Department to investigate a particular complaint.

Step 3 Review by the Chief Executive

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of Step 2, you can write to the Chief Executive and ask him to review your complaint. The Chief Executive will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days of receipt and will provide you with a full response within 10 working days of receipt. The Chief Executive may ask another officer to undertake the review on his behalf and, if your complaint relates to the Chief Executive, the Monitoring Officer will review the complaint.

3. What if I am still not satisfied?

At any time you have the right to refer your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman. This is an independent person who looks into complaints of maladministration (bad practice) against local authorities. The Ombudsman will usually want to know if your complaint can be resolved locally, so you should follow the steps in the Complaints Procedure first. The Ombudsman can be contacted on:

Tel: 0300 061 0614
Website: http://www.lgo.org.uk/
Email: advice@lgo.uk
Fax: 024 7682 0001
Text: 'call back' to 0762 480 4299
Write to: Local Government Ombudsman, PO Box 4771, Coventry CV4 0EH

A booklet explaining how to refer matters to the Ombudsman is available from Council offices.

Complaints Form.

Please fill in the form and return to the relevant Head of Department below.

Customer Services, 88/90 Pier Avenue, Clacton on Sea, Essex, CO15 1TN

Life Opportunities, Town Hall, Station Road, Clacton on Sea, Essex, CO15 1SE

Planning & Regeneration, Council Offices, Thorpe Road Weeley, Essex CO16 9AJ

Public Experience, Town Hall, Station Road, Clacton on Sea, Essex, CO15 1SE

Resource Management, Town Hall, Station Road, Clacton on Sea, Essex, CO15 1SE

See what services are provided by each department

Ombudsman's Annual Review

The Local Government Ombudsman investigates complaints about the administration of the Council. He has produced a report to the council about the number / type of complaints he received about the council and our response times in responding to his investigations:

Local Government Ombudsman Report on Complaints received for year ending March 2011 (pdf)

Other Useful Links:

Report something to the Council

Apply for a Council Service

Make a general enquiry via the Contact Form