Complaints Policy

Not satisfied with our service? Then tell us!

Carlisle City Council aims to serve its customers as effectively and courteously as possible.

However, even the best service sometimes goes wrong - and if it does we want to know about it.

We welcome your complaint because it gives us the chance to put things right and improve services. The following information is provided to help you tell us when something is wrong and to explain what we will do to sort it out.

All Corporate Complaints are dealt with in accordance with the City Council's Corporate Complaints and Feedback Policy (2008) and Unreasonable and Unreasonably Persistant Complaints Policy (2007).

When should I complain?

• When we have failed to do something we should have done
• When we have agreed to do something but haven't
• When we have given a poor service
• When we have treated you unfairly or discourteously

How do I contact the Council about a complaint?

Firstly, we will try to resolve your complaint informally.

You can call at the Civic Centre in person where all services have reception facilities, or you may telephone 01228 817000 and ask for the service you want.

or our A-Z of Services lists City Council services and their contact numbers.

If you prefer you can write to the relevant service at:

FREEPOST RLUB-YGCX-YEYB

Carlisle City Council

Civic Centre

Carlisle

CA3 8QG

Please also mark on your envelope which service the complaint is about.

you can e-mail us at complaints@carlisle.gov.uk

or we have an Online complaints form.

If for any reason your complaint is not resolved informally then please read on...

How do I make a formal complaint?

Download,  print and fill in the  Complaints Form (PDF 534 KB) to explain your complaint and what you would like to happen. Then just give your name and address and post it to our freepost address (no stamp needed).

Our reception staff or a friend can fill the form in for you should you prefer this. Further copies of this leaflet are available in normal, large print and audio tape from the civic centre and other City Council Buildings.

You may also use our Online complaints form.

What happens next?

All complaints are received and recorded by Corporate Complaints. You will be sent an acknowledgement within five working days. Your complaint will be investigated by a manager of the service concerned and a response will be issued to you within 15 working days. (Please note the Data Protection Statement below.)

What if I am still not satisfied?

If you are unhappy with the response to your complaint please contact Corporate Complaints which will call a Board of Arbitration of three City Councillors. They will examine your complaint and discuss relevant points with you as necessary. You will be sent their decision within 20 working days of the Board of Arbitration.

If you are still dissatisfied you may wish to complain to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO). LGO leaflets explaining how to do this are available from the Civic Centre, the Citizens Advice Bureau, by telephoning 0845 602 1983 or by visiting the LGO website at the web site at http://www.lgo.org.uk/

Local Government Ombudsman

The Local Government Ombudsman is an independent person who investigates allegations of maladministration causing injustice to the person who has complained. The Ombudsman investigates complaints about most council matters including housing, planning, education, social services, and council tax. The Ombudsman can be contacted at:

Local Government Ombudsman

P O Box 4771

Coventry

CV04 0EH

Telephone: 0845 602 1983

Email: advice@lgo.org.uk

Text: 0762 480 4323

The Local Government Ombudsman has a leaflet called Complaint about the Council? How to complain to the Local Government Ombudsman. You can get a copy by telephoning or writing to the address above, or you can download it from the Ombudsman's website.

If you have an enquiry about the Local Government Ombudsman's service you can telephone their Adviceline on 0845 602 1983.

Conduct of Councillors

From 8 May 2008, the responsibility for considering complaints about a Councillor moved to Carlisle City Council’s Standards Committee. If you want to complain that a Councillor or co-opted member of Carlisle City Council or a Councillor on any Town or Parish Council within the District of Carlisle has failed to comply with the Code of Conduct applicable to members of those Authorities, then you should make your complaint in writing to:

The Chairman of the Standards Committee/Standards Sub-Committee (initial assessment),

c/o John Egan, Monitoring Officer

Carlisle City Council

Civic Centre

Carlisle

Cumbria, CA3 8QG

stating the nature of the complaint and providing relevant evidence to substantiate your allegation.

For further information and a complaint form click on the link below:

(link to standards committee page)

What about the future?

The City Council aims to use all complaints information to positively improve the services it delivers. We will monitor problems to ensure that changes occur where necessary. The number of complaints received and findings are reported annually.

• Annual Report 2004/5
• Annual Report 2005/6