🔵 Ombudsman Self Assessment Form (2024)

🔵 Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report

🔵 Published Response by Lancaster City Council Cabinet

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 an individual or group of individuals.”

Council Housing will always accept a complaint unless there is a valid reason no to do so. However, when assessing whether to treat a contact as a complaint or not. Each case will be considered on its individual merits and consideration may be given..

Below are examples of some of the excluded complaints, which will not be investigated:

• Day to day service requests or initial reporting of faults.

• Criticisms or disagreement with council policies.

• Complaints concerning the level of rent or service charge or the amount of the rent or service charge increase.

• Complaints against individual employees which arise from dissatisfaction with a council policy or decision, and where no other basis for the complaint exists.

• Appeals against any council advice, actions, or decisions in its capacity as a regulator where a statutory right of appeal or other council appeals/review procedure exists.

For a full list please see our Complaints Policy (PDF, 5.8MB)

Please Note: Any expression of dissatisfaction regarding our services that is made through a survey, will not be defined as a complaint. Wherever possible, we will contact the person completing the surveyto advise how they can pursue a complaint if they wish to.

Complaints can be made online, via email, by telephone, in person or in writing. If you prefer to talk to someone in person, a meeting can be arranged and a friend, relative or other representative can come with you if you wish.

Please click here of you wish to make a complaint online.

When making your complaint please ensure you provide:

• Your full name and address and preferred method of contact

• If you’re complaining on behalf of someone, their full name and address along with a signed Consent for Third Party Complaints Form (PDF, 22KB)

• A list of relevant points, highlighting any important issues

• Details of how you have been affected

• The names of any staff who have dealt with the situation

• An explanation of what you want to achieve

• Copies of any documents supporting your complaint

You can make a complaint anonymously and we will consider your complaint, any investigation will be proportionate to the potential outcome.

All information about you or anyone involved in the complaint will be dealt with in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

We will try to resolve any issues you have when you first contact us. If you feel your issue has not been resolved, then you may have the right to make a complaint.

We will contact you within five working days of receipt to let you know we have received your complaint, and your complaint will be investigated by a designated senior officer within the service which is the subject of the complaint.

We will aim to give you a full reply to your complaint within 10 working days. If this is going to take longer, we will inform you, and we will keep you up to date on our progress.

This is known as a Stage One Complaint.

If, following the response that you have received, you remain dissatisfied then you may request for your complaint to be escalated to Stage Two of the Council’s complaint’s policy.

Your complaint will be reviewed by an officer independent of the service area concerned, to establish:

• Whether the investigation was adequately thorough and impartial.

• If any fault was found, whether things have been put right for the complainant.

Please note that Stage Two is not a full re-investigation of the complaint, but it will address any relevant issues if they still need to be addressed in the original complaint response.

Stage Two is also the final stage of the council’s complaints policy. If, following Stage Two, you feel your issue has not been resolved, you have the right to refer your complaint to the relevant Ombudsman.

If you are a Council tenant, leaseholder, or a housing applicant, with a complaint about the council’s housing service, and the issue has still not been resolved following Stage Two you can contact the Housing Ombudsman by visiting the website www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk or by the contact details below:

Housing Ombudsman Service: PO Box 1484, Unit D, Preston, PR2 0ET

Tel: 0300 111 3000

E-mail: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk

We are committed to transparency and continuous improvement in our complaint handling processes. To see the latest performance information, please visit our Performance Page, where you will find up-to-date data, and insights on how we are addressing and resolving complaints.

Our aim is to provide our customers with a high level of service that is responsive to their requirements. Our quality objectives are to ensure that:

• Services Are Provided That Are Appropriate And Responsive To Customer Needs
• All Relevant Details About A Customer's Needs Are Obtained To Enable Their Request To Be Fairly Assessed
• Clear And Accurate Advice And Information Is Given
• The Customer Is Kept Informed
• Decisions And Actions Are Taken At The Right Time
• Service Standards Are Set, Monitored, And Reviewed In Consultation With Customers