Corporate Complaints Policy - January 2026

Stage 1

Complaints will be responded to as early as possible, taking account of factors such as the complexity of the complaint and whether the individual is vulnerable or at risk. Most stage 1 complaints can be resolved promptly, and an explanation, apology or resolution provided.

We will acknowledge, and log complaints at stage 1 of the complaint procedure within five working days of the complaint being received.  

We will provide a full response to stage 1 complaints within fifteen working days of the complaint being received

If an extension is needed due to the complexity of the complaint we will inform you of the expected timescale for response. We will only extend the timeframe when there a good reason to, and we will not extend the timeframe more than ten working days. We will tell you why the extension is being applied and provide you with details of the Ombudsman.

A complaint response will be issued when the matter has been investigated, not when the outstanding actions required to address the issue are completed. Outstanding actions will be tracked and actioned promptly with appropriate updates provided.

Complaint responses will address all points raised in the complaint and provide clear reasons for any decisions, referencing the relevant policy, law and good practice where appropriate. We will be clear which aspects of the complaint the council is and is not responsible for and clarify any areas where this is not clear.

The complaint response will provide details of how to escalate the matter to stage 2 if you are not satisfied with the response.

If you raise additional complaints during stage 1, these will be incorporated into the stage 1 response if they are related and are provided in sufficient time to allow the investigation to be concluded on time. Depending on when additional complaints are raised, an extension to timescale may be required. Where the stage 1 response has been provided, the new issues are unrelated to the issues already being considered, or it would unreasonably delay the response, the new issues will be recorded as a new complaint. We will notify you if this is the case and provided a revised date for response.

Stage 2

If all or part of the complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction at stage 1, you have the right to request that the complaint is progressed to stage 2. Stage 2 is the council's final response. The Stage 2 review is not a reinvestigation of the complaint but must decide whether the Stage 1 response was a full and fair consideration of the complaint and if the findings and outcome were appropriate. 

We will acknowledge and log requests for stage 2 within five working days of the escalation request being received. Within the acknowledgement, we will set out our understanding of any outstanding issues and the outcomes you are seeking. If any aspect of the complaint is unclear, we will ask you for clarification.

Although you are not required to explain your reasons for requesting a stage 2, by providing them, this will help us to understand why we have been unable to resolve matters and what outcome you are looking for. It is useful if you share this with us when you request that the complaint is escalated. 

The person considering the complaint at stage 2 will not be the same person that considered the complaint at stage 1.

We will issue our final response to the stage 2 complaint within 20 working days of the complaint being acknowledged.

If an extension to the timescale is needed due to the complexity of the complaint we will inform you of the expected timescale for response. We will only extend the timeframe when there a good reason to, and we will not extend the timeframe more than 20 working days. We will tell you why the extension is being applied and provide you with details of the Ombudsman.

When an extension is applied, we will provide you with details for the Ombudsman.

The stage 2 response will confirm the following in clear, plain language:

• the complaint stage
• the council's understanding of the complaint
• the decision on the complaint
• the reasons for any decisions made
• the details of any remedy offered to put things right
• details of any outstanding actions
• details of how to escalate the matter to the Ombudsman if you remain dissatisfied

Stage 2 will be the council's final response and will involve all relevant officers needed to issue a response.