Council and democracy

The purpose of this procedure is to ensure that:

1. • As many complaints as possible are resolved at the initial point of contact without the need for the customer to pursue the matter further
   • Any faults are acknowledged and an apology is offered
   • The customer is given a clear and relevant explanation where this is requested
   • Acknowledged deficiencies in the council's services are identified and remedied as quickly as possible
   • Effective action is taken to avoid similar complaints in future
   • Best practice in dealing with complaints is shared across the council
   
   
2. Operation of the procedure

   In most cases, service delivery problems reported by customers are resolved satisfactorily by the member of staff they contact first, without any need for further action. If the customer is not satisfied with the response given at this informal stage, they are entitled to ask for their complaint to be dealt with formally under the Corporate Complaints Procedure. All formal complaints will be recorded under the procedure, and that information regularly analysed to identify patterns of complaints and possible service improvements.

3. The Corporate Complaints Procedure has two formal stages:
   
   At each formal stage, correspondence will be acknowledged in writing within three working days of receipt.
   
   Stage 1
    
   Complaints can be made in writing or orally to the manager of the section responsible for the service. If a customer has difficulties in making a written complaint at any stage of the procedure, they can request assistance or submit their complaint in an alternative form.
   
   The customer will get a written response from the manager within 20 working days of receipt of the complaint. The response will tell them that they can ask for an investigation at stage 2 of the procedure if they are not satisfied with the response.
   
   Stage 2
    
   A request for a stage 2 review should be made in writing to the Departmental Complaints Officer (DCO) of the department concerned and should include an explanation of the customer’s reasons for dissatisfaction with the Stage 1 response. If relevant reasons are given a review of the stage 1 investigation and response will be carried out under the supervision of the director of that department and re-investigated if appropriate. The aim of the review is to ensure that all matters raised in the original complaint have been comprehensively and accurately addressed and, if not, to ensure that this now happens. The director will then make a recommendation to the Chief Executive. The Chief Executive will consider that recommendation and reply to the complainant, or if he disagrees with it, instruct the director to review the investigation or to make further enquiries. In his absence, the Chief Executive may authorise another senior officer to undertake his role.
   
   The Stage 2 review will be completed within 25 working days of receipt of the Stage 2 complaint. In exceptional circumstances, the review may take longer than 25 working days. If so, the customer will be informed by the 20th day of the reason for the delay and given a target date for a final response. The final response will tell the customer how to complain further to the Local Government Ombudsman.
   
   Councillors', GLA Member and MPs' Enquiries
   1. Members of the council, the GLA Member for Croydon and Sutton and Members of Parliament make enquiries of the council about a range of matters raised with them by constituents. The general purpose of these enquiries is to obtain information in order to respond to the constituent.
   2. If the constituent wishes to make a complaint about the delivery of a service, the Member (ie Councillor or the GLA Member) or MP can refer the matter to be dealt with under the Corporate Complaints procedure. This will avoid the Member or MP acting as an intermediary and enables them to represent their constituent if they feel this is appropriate. If the matter is not within the remit of the complaints procedure and there is a statutory or other appeal process available, the Member or MP will be advised promptly to ensure that the constituent does not miss the opportunity of exercising a statutory right by using an inappropriate complaint channel.
   3. There are three main routes used by a Member to make enquiries:
      • direct to the officer who deals with the subject of the complaint
      • to the relevant DCO
      • to the Members Support Officer, Democratic and Legal Services (Croydon Councillors only)

      Both the Members Support Officer and the DCO will ensure the Member and/or their constituent receive a full response from the relevant officer.

   4. There are two main routes used by MPs to make enquiries:
      • to the Chief Executive or the Director of Corporate Services
      • to the Director of the service concerned
   5. MPs' enquiries received by the Chief Executive or Director of Corporate Services will be referred to the Head of Democratic and Legal Services for a response. Enquiries to Directors will be referred to the relevant DCO or will be dealt with under the departmental Members' Enquiries procedure.
   6. The council aims to respond to Members' and MPs' Enquiries within 10 working days of receipt, whichever route is used. Where the matter is urgent, the response time will be reduced as appropriate. If the enquiry concerns a complaint about a council service that has not been referred to the corporate complaints procedure, it may take longer to provide a full response.