How To Make a Formal Complaint
Full details of how to complain, and how we will deal with your complaint, are given below, and in the booklet available from the right hand downloads menu.
What is a complaint?
If the answer to any of the following questions is YES, you probably have a complaint to make against the council:
- Have we failed to follow an agreed council procedure or policy?
- Have we failed to deliver a service to an agreed standard?
- Do you think that we didn’t take account of relevant matters in coming to a decision?
- Do you feel we’ve been neglectful towards you or delayed matters unnecessarily?
- Has one of our staff dealt with you badly?
- Do you feel that you’ve been a victim of malice, bias or discrimination in your dealings with us?
What is not a complaint?
- A criticism of, or disagreement with, council policies or decisions.
- Complaints against individual employees which arise from dissatisfaction with a council policy or decision, and where no other basis for the complaint exists.
- Planning, Development Control, the awarding of Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefits or Homelessness matters where a right of appeal exists, unless the complaint relates specifically to the way the matter has been administered.
- A matter which is, or could be reasonably be expected to be, the subject of court or tribunal proceedings, or which is in hands of the council’s insurers.
- Complaints which constitute a refusal to accept a rule of law which the council is applying.
Who else can you go to?
Your Councillor - You may at any time refer the matter to your local councillor, who will be happy to take up your complaint with the relevant service.
What if you're not happy with the outcome of a complaint?
When you make a complaint it will be investigated by an officer within the appropriate department. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of their investigation, you have the right to have the complaint investigated by someone outside the immediate department. We call this a stage 2 complaint.
You can make a stage two complaint by contacting Customer Services either in person or by telephoning 01524 582000. Alternatively you can use the Talk Back form in the right-hand downloads menu and print and send to the address on the form, or email complaints@lancaster.gov.uk.
Please make us aware that you are making a stage 2 complaint.
Local Government Ombudsman
Finally, if you are still not happy with the answer, you can refer your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman. You can contact the ombudsman at any stage, but they will want to be sure that you have gone through the system as set out first.
For details of how to complain to the ombudsman about the council, please see the right hand 'useful websites' menu.
The ombudsman for the Lancaster district can be contacted via the Local Government Ombudsman website, or as follows:
Jerry White
Local Government Ombudsman
The Oaks No 2
Westwood Way
Westwood Business Park
Coventry
CV4 8JB
Phone: 024 7682 0000
Fax: 024 7682 0001
The ombudsman publishes annual statistics for all councils. For those relating to the Lancaster district please see the right hand downloads menu.
Complaining about a Councillor - The Standards Committee
Complaints that a councillor may have breached the code of conduct are the responsibility of the standards committees of local authorities.
What this means to you
If you wish to complain about the conduct of a member of the Lancaster City Council or a member of one of the parish or town councils within the council’s area, you must submit your complaint to:
The Monitoring Officer
Lancaster City Council,
Town Hall,
LANCASTER
LA1 1PJ
Your complaint will then be considered by the assessment sub-committee of the city council’s standards committee, which will be chaired by a person who is independent of the city council and the parish councils.
The assessment sub-committee can only deal with complaints about the behaviour of a member. It will not deal with complaints about things that are not covered by the members’ code of conduct. If you make a complaint to the assessment sub-committee it must be about why you think a member has not followed the code of conduct.
The code of conduct is available in the right hand downloads menu.
The codes of conduct of the parish and town councils within the council's district are also available from the Monitoring Officer or from the clerk to the relevant parish or town council.
If you wish to make a complaint, you should complete the complaints form in the right hand downloads menu. Please read the accompanying guidance notes before filling in the form.
How to Report Suspected Fraud and Misconduct
The council is committed to tackling fraud and corruption. Tackling the risk of fraud and corruption helps the council achieve its corporate objectives and deliver the public services that citizens want.
Please read the attached document for details of how to report suspected fraud or misconduct by a council employee or elected member.
Public Reporting of Suspected Fraud and Misconduct
For further information please contact us, details below.