CouncilYour comments, complaints & compliments
- Comments and compliments - Why not tell us if we are doing a good job or nominate a member of staff for an award
- Complaints - Find out how to make a complaint or use our online customer complaints form
- Complaints about information requested under the Freedom of Information Act
- Equal opportunities complaints
- Complaints about Member Conduct (Word 40k) - Procedure for handling complaints agreed by the Standards Committee
We want to hear from you
We want to give you the best possible service. It is only by listening to your views that we can find out what we are doing well and what needs to improve.
We are committed to continuously improving our services and will act on what you tell us.
This leaflet explains how we will deal with your comments, complaints and compliments.
Whenever you contact us, we will always:
- be polite, helpful and honest, as we hope you will be
- treat you with respect, as we would like to be treated
- treat you fairly and equally
- not pass you from one person to another
- listen to your views
- make it clear what we can and cannot do
- give you a contact name and take responsibility for the service we provide
- consider your needs when designing our services, and
- admit when things go wrong and do our best to put them right.
If you are making a complaint, we will also:
- carry out enquiries independently and fairly
- deal with your complaint as quickly and effectively as we can
- maintain confidentiality, and
- keep you informed of our progress.
Comments
If you have an idea for improving services, or want to comment on what we do, we’d like to hear from you.
If you would like us to respond to your comment, we’ll let you know we’ve received it within 24 hours. We will also tell you who is dealing with it and when you can expect to receive a reply, if it is going to be longer than five days.
We aim to provide a full response in under ten working days – and more quickly if the matter is really urgent.
Compliments
We are always delighted to hear that our staff are doing a great job. We make sure they know when someone is pleased, as this motivates them and makes their work even more satisfying.
We have a staff recognition scheme, where you can put forward staff for an award. The forms for doing this are available in libraries, in Idea stores and in council offices.
Complaints
We aim to provide the best possible service but we know that sometimes things can go wrong.We welcome complaints, as they help us learn and improve our services.
Taking it further
If you’re not happy with the way we have dealt with you, please tell us so that we can, where possible, sort out the problem.
Our complaints procedure does not replace any formal appeals procedures, such as:
- appeals about housing benefit awards
- appeals about the outcome of a medical assessment for rehousing
- appeals from homeless people about how suitable an offer of a permanent home is, and
- appeals about parking.
Our complaints procedure has three stages.
Stage 1
Contact the member of staff providing the service you want to complain about or their manager. Tell them the problem and they will try and sort it out. In many cases they will deal with your complaint on the spot. If not, we will write to you within ten working days.
If you don’t know who to contact, telephone the corporate complaints team on:
020 7364 4161.
Stage 2
If you are not happy with the answer you received at stage 1, you can ask for a management investigation. Fill in the online customer complaints form. If you need help to complete the form staff in our One-Stop Shops can help you. Forms completed on paper must be either handed in at any council office, or posted to:
Corporate Complaints Team
Tower Hamlets Town Hall
Mulberry Place
5 Clove Crescent
London E 14 2BG
Tel (English/ Sylheti): 020 7364 4161
Fax: 020 7364 4300
Minicom: 020 7364 4853
email: complaints@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Online customer complaints form
We will send you an acknowledgement within 24 hours of receiving your complaint and tell you who is looking into it. We aim to give you a full reply within 20 working days. If we can’t finish our investigation in time, we will let you know and tell you why.
Stage 3
If you are still not happy with our response at stage 2, you can ask the Chief Executive to look at your complaint. Just let the Corporate Complaints Team know that you want to do this and why.
The Chief Executive will review the previous decisions and decide if they were fair and reasonable. Again, we will aim to deal with your complaint within 20 working days. If we can’t complete it on time, we will tell you why.
Taking your complaint further
Local Government Ombudsman
If you feel we have treated you unfairly, you can complain to the Local Government Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman is an independent watchdog which makes sure that all councils act fairly and follow their own policies and procedures.
The Ombudsman will usually only consider your complaint following the Chief Executive’s review at stage 3 or (if we have not fully replied to your written complaint) within 12 weeks.
You can contact the Ombudsman at:
You can contact the Local Government Ombudsman at:
Local Government Ombudsman Advice Team
PO Box 4771
Coventry CV4 0EH
Telephone: Mon-Fri 8.30am to 5pm, 0845 602 1983
Email: advice@lgo.org.uk
Text: 0762 4804323
Web: www.lgo.org.uk
Freedom of information
Under the Freedom of Information Act, you can see information we hold, with certain exceptions.
If you have made a request and do not think you are getting the information you are entitled to, you can make a complaint under our corporate complaints procedure. If you are still not happy at the end of this procedure, the Information Commissioner can help.
Online customer complaints form
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
tel: 01625 545 700
fax: 01625 524 510
email: mail@ico.gsi.gov.uk
website: www.informationcommissioner.gov.uk
Our commitment to equal opportunities
Treating people fairly is at the heart of everything we do, and we are committed to achieving the highest standards in the services we provide. If you think we have treated you unfairly for any reason, please tell us.
Online customer complaints form
There are other organisations you can also contact.
If you think you have been discriminated against because of your race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion or belief you can contact the Equality and Human Rights Commission at:
3 More London
Riverside Tooley Street
London SE1 2RG
tel: 020 3117 0235 (non helpline calls only)
helpline: 0845 604 6610
fax: 020 7407 7557
e-mail: info@equalityhumanrights.com
website: www.equalityhumanrights.com
Councillors and MPs
Your councillors and Members of Parliament are also here to help. You can contact them if you have a local issue that you want to bring to their attention.
Their names and addresses are available from your local library, by calling 020 7364 3237 or on this website.
Further information
If you would like a copy of this in large print or on audio tape, please phone 020 7364 416, minicom: 020 7364 4853.
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