Comments, compliments and complaints

How we deal with complaints
The last thing we want to do is upset or annoy you, so we take any complaints we receive very seriously. We have processes to follow to make sure that every complaint is dealt with fairly and sorted out as quickly as possible.

For most complaints we will follow a staged procedure

Informal stage
Where possible, a member of our team will do their best to resolve the issue for you.

If you are not happy with the outcome of this you can go through a formal complaints procedure.

Formal stage 1 and 2
Your complaint will be handled by the service you're complaining about.

Formal stage 3
If you are not happy with the outcome your complaint will be reviewed by our corporate complaints team.

For adults' or children's social care complaints, we are governed by legislation which means we have to follow a different procedure.

In all cases we will:

• Let you know that your complaint has been received within 3 working days, by telephone if possible
• Provide you with the name and contact details of the person dealing with your complaint
• Provide you with a full response within 10 working days, or explain why it might take longer
• Advise you on how to take your complaint further if you are still unhappy with the result

If you'd like to take things further
We really hope we are able to resolve any complaints you might have. If however, you are unhappy with the action we have taken, you may want to contact the Local Government Ombudsman.

For more information on the Local Government Ombudsman visit www.lgo.org.uk/ or call 0300 061 0614.

See how we have performed in dealing with your complaints