Compliments, Comments and Complaints
We are committed to providing high quality services that meet the needs of our communities making best use of the available resources. By telling us how we are doing, you can help shape the future of our services.
If you are happy with the council please let us know, however we appreciate that no matter how hard we try there are bound to be occasions when you are not happy with the service you have recieved. The council welcomes complaints as a way of gaining feedback from our customers. It helps us understand where things could have been done better and how we can improve our services and the way in which we engage with those who use our services or come into contact with the council.
How to provide feedback
You can provide feedback, good or bad about our services or a member of staff by:
- using our feedback form
- telephone: 01749 648999
- email: customerservices@mendip.gov.uk
- writing to us: Customer Services, Cannards Grave Road, Shepton Mallet, BA4 5BT
Please provide the information listed below when making your feedback, which will assist us in resolving the matter:
- Name
- Address
- Telephone number
- Email address (where applicable)
- If you are complaining on behalf of someone else please provide their details
- The relevant service area
- Any relevant reference numbers
- Details of your feedback
- Any action would you like us to take
The council will deal with feedback confidentially, quickly, efficiently and in a fair and honest way. The making of a complaint will not affect the nature of the service provided to an individual, whether or not the complaint is related to that service.
On receipt of your feedback an acknowledgement will be produced and sent to you and a full response will be provided within 10 calendar days.
Occasionally it may take longer to provide a response, in which case you will be advised of the reasons for the delay, and when you can expect a full response.
What is not accepted as a complaint?
- Requests for a service eg bulky goods collection.
- Requests for information or explanation of Council policy.
- Matters for which there is a legal right of appeal or a legal remedy e.g. appeals against housing benefit decisions.
- Decisions reached with full regard to agreed policies and procedures e.g. planning complaints.
- Complaints about Councillors, which are dealt with by the Standards Committee of the Council. Find out how to complain about a councillor.
Appeals against the council's response to your feedback
We will aim to resolve feedback by its first response. In the event that you are not satisfied with the response provided by us please let us know. Your appeal against the original response will be logged and your feedback looked into at a higher level within the council. This will generally be the next tier of management.
If you are still dissatisfied with the response provided to you then we would advise you to make a referral to the Local Governement Ombudsman, who will consider whether the council has followed its procedures correctly in dealing with the matter in question.
Local Government Ombudsman
The Ombudsman investigates complaints which have already been through the Council's own procedures. This may be done through arbitration, which means bringing in an independent person to listen to both sides of the story before making a decision or the Ombudsman may investigate the complaint personally.
PO Box 4771, Coventry, CV4 0EH
Tel: 0300 061 0614
Fax: 024 768 20001
www.lgo.org.uk
Monitoring our performance
All feedback will be logged, regardless of the way in which we have received it. This record of feedback will be disaggregated by service area for indentification of service improvement needs.
Regular reviews of the system will be undertaken to ensure feedback is actioned promptly and lessons taken into account in service improvement.
Quarterly reports will be prepared for Cabinet and Scrutiny Board on the performance of each department in responding to feedback as well as the nature of the feedback received, the actions that have been taken and the lessons that have been learnt.
Quarterly reports will also be published on the website and Your Mendip (the council's publication to all households) to show how well we have met the performance standards for response times, and actions taken to address issues raised.
The external auditor
If you have made a complaint relating to financial matters where you think that the council has not acted legally or properly, and you are not satisfied with the council's response, you may wish to write to the council's external auditor.
District Auditor
Westward House
Lime Kiln Close
Stoke Gifford
Bristol BS34 8SR
Tel: 0844 7986757
The Information Commissioner
If your complaint is about how the council has dealt with a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, you can appeal to the Information Commissioner.
If your complaint is upheld we will:
- tell you what steps we will take to prevent it happening again
- provide you with an appropriate remedy
- apologise to you.
The Information Commissioner
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113
Fax: 01625 524510
Contact
Last Updated
23 July 2010
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Page last updated on 23 July 2010
