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Frankwell Quay
Shrewsbury
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Complaints Procedure
The Council’s advice leaflet sets out the following information and procedure to be followed by an individual wishing to make a complaint.
Complaints Procedure
1. What Constitutes A Complaint?
The Council's definition of a complaint is: 'An expression of dissatisfaction with the way in which the Council has acted or not acted' and listed below are the categories of complaints which fall within the procedure, and those which are excluded:
2. Categories of Complaint
- Failure to follow agreed Council procedure, policy, rules or standards of service.
- Failure to take account of relevant matters in coming to a decision.
- Neglect or unjustified delay.
- Failure to tell people of their rights.
- Unhelpful attitude of a Council employee.
- Malice, bias or discrimination.
3. Exclusions
- Criticisms or disagreements with Council policies or decisions.
- Complaints against individual employees which arise directly from dissatisfaction with a Council policy or decision, and where no other basis for the complaint exists.
- Planning, Development Control, the awarding of Housing or Council Tax Benefit or Homelessness matters where a right of appeal exists, unless the complaint relates specifically to the way the matter has been administered.
- A decision of the Council where regulatory powers are being exercised unless the complaint relates specifically to the way the matter has been administered.
- A matter which is, or could reasonably be expected to be, the subject of Court or tribunal proceedings, or which is in the hands of the Council's Insurers.
- Complaints which constitute a disagreement with refusal to accept a rule of law which the Council is applying.
- Complaints about the conduct of individual members of the Council (a separate complaint form is available from the Monitoring Officer at the Guildhall, Frankwell Quay, Shrewsbury for alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct).
4. Complaints Procedure
The Council's advice leaflet "Comments, Compliments, Complaints" sets out the following information and procedure to be followed by an individual wishing to make a complaint.
1. Firstly, if you have not already contacted the Department about your complaint, please complete and return the relevant sections of the "Comments, Compliments and Complaints" leaflet referred to above.
The form is available for this purpose at any of the Council’s offices or online at www.shrewsbury.gov.uk
An officer of the relevant department will endeavour to investigate and resolve your complaint and will reply to you within 10 working days.
2. If you are not satisfied with the response please write to the Council Manager, who will instruct the relevant Service Manager to deal with your complaint.
Receipt of your complaint will be acknowledged within 3 working days and you should receive a reply within 10 working days. This may be an interim reply while more information is obtained, in which case you will be informed of when it is hoped to send a final response.
3. If having received the final response from the Service Manager responsible you are still not satisfied, write again to the Council Manager. This time a fresh, independent investigation will be carried out by a senior officer not previously involved. Your letter will be acknowledged within 3 working days and you should receive a reply giving the findings of the investigation within 10 working days. Again this may be an interim reply while more information is obtained and you will be informed of when it is hoped to send a final response.
At this point you will have gone through all stages involving the Council's complaints procedure.
4. Finally, if having gone through the Council's complaints procedure, you are still not satisfied, you may take your complaint to the independent Local Government Ombudsman. A separate booklet on how to complain to the Ombudsman is available from the Democratic Services Section at The Guildhall, Frankwell Quay, Shrewsbury (01743 281032).
5. You can take your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman at any time. However, he will expect you to have given the Council the chance to settle your complaint before the matter is referred to him. This leaflet is available in large print. Please contact the Council on 01743 281032.
6. This Complaints Procedure is available in community languages, braille, on audio tape, or other formats upon request from the Democratic Services Section at The Guildhall, Frankwell Quay, Shrewsbury (01743 281032).
7. For complaints about the conduct of individual members of the Council in which you suggest there may have been a breach of the Code of Conduct, a separate form is available from the Council Manager's Department at The Guildhall, Frankwell Quay, Shrewsbury (01743 280132). After completing this form you will need to send it to The Standards Board for England, Fourth Floor, Griffin House, 40 Lever Street, Manchester, M1 1BB.