Taking a complaint further and appeals
We aim to resolve all complaints fairly. If you're not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO).
What the Ombudsman does
The Ombudsman checks if public services have followed the right procedures. It is not a second appeal. Instead, it checks if decisions were made fairly and correctly.
The Ombudsman will decide if they should investigate your complaint. It may choose not to investigate if:
- you haven’t been personally affected in a significant way
- the issue falls outside its scope.
You’ll always receive a written explanation of its decision.
How to contact the Ombudsman
- Website: www.lgo.org.uk/how-to-complain
- Phone: 0300 061 0614
Once your complaint is with the Ombudsman, we can’t discuss it with you directly. All communication will go through the Ombudsman.
Appeals and what we can’t investigate
Some decisions follow legal or regulated processes. These can’t be challenged using our complaints procedure. Examples include:
- parking or bus lane fines
- taxi licensing
- premises licensing.
You can find more details about what we usually can’t investigate on the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman website.
If you're unhappy with how the service was delivered you can still make a complaint. This is true even if you agree with the final decision.