Corporate Complaints
We strive to provide excellent services, recognising that we can always do better and want to learn from complaints to improve services. We also want to be open and responsive, listening to your needs and addressing them as quickly as possible.
We define a complaint as 'an expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the organisation, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting a resident or group of residents'.
We abide by the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code and the aligned Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code. Our Corporate Complaints Policy and Procedure follows these Codes, which set out a process that allows us to respond to complaints effectively and fairly.
What you can expect from us
Complaints differ widely in nature and complexity and in dealing with your complaint, we will aim to apply a number of basic principles:
- Acknowledgement of your complaint within 5 working days of its receipt by us;
- A reply to your complaint within 10 working days of acknowledgement of Stage One complaints or 20 working days of acknowledgement of Stage Two complaints, and to be kept informed if an investigation takes longer;
- Any extension to the timescale for responding to you complaint will be no more than 10 working days for Stage One complaints and 20 working days for Stage Two complaints;
- A full and fair investigation by a named person;
- An Ombudsman review if you remain dissatisfied at the end of our complaints process;
- Courtesy and helpfulness at all times;
- Confidentiality - any request for your identity to remain confidential will be respected as far as possible;
- Impartiality - your complaint will be dealt with on its own merits and impartially.
What happens if we agree with your complaint about us
If we find that we are at fault, we will apologise and consider whether there is anything we should do to put things right.
Our Corporate Complaints Procedure
- Stages of the corporate complaints procedure
- How to complain
- Help and advice on the corporate complaints procedure
- Most commonly raised complaints that are not within the remit of our corporate complaints procedure
- Complaints relating to the Council's housing landlord functions
- Complaints relating to alleged breaches of the Member Codes of Conduct (Borough and Parish/Town Councils)
- Fluency Duty (a complaint that an employee in a customer facing role has insufficient proficiency in spoken English for the performance of their role)
- Insurance claims (the Council operates a number of insurance policies in relation to Council owned property, public liability etc. This does not include claims arising from damage/injuries caused by any defect in the public highway, which is the responsibility of Kent County Council)
- Policy on Unreasonably Persistent and/or Vexatious Complainants