How to complain
Introduction
We hope that the services you receive from us are of the quality that you expect. However, we know that there may be times when you feel unhappy with the service you receive or you may want to make a suggestion about how we can improve it. We also hope that there may be times when you would like to tell us when you are happy with a service. Your complaints, suggestions and compliments are important to us. They help us improve our services, so don’t be afraid to let us know your concerns.
How can I give you my comments?
We want to make it as easy as possible for you to let us know your comments. If you need any help, please ask a member of staff. You may also want to seek the support of your local Councillor, a voluntary agency, a friend or relative. You can get a list of
Councillors' names and contact numbers on this site or at
One Stop Services. You can let us know your comments in person, in writing, by e-mail at:
customercomplaints@westminster.gov.uk over the phone on 020 7641 5000 or
through the Internet.
Each department has a minicom number you can contact. This information is also available in Braille, large print or on audio tape. We can translate the information into another language if you ask.
If you would like to see a copy of the Council's complaints leaflet "How to Complain", click here.
How do I make a complaint?
If you want to make a complaint, we have a simple three-stage procedure.
Stage 1
The people who can best deal with a complaint are those who provide the service. So you should contact your local office or service manager about your complaint. We can usually sort out mistakes and misunderstandings quickly and informally at this stage. If you're not sure who to contact, you can call 020 7641 5000, you can also find a list of services and phone numbers in the
A–Z of Westminster City Council Services available on this site. You can also a printed copy of this publication from Council offices or
One Stop Services. We aim to respond, at this stage, within 10 working days.
Stage 2
If you are unhappy with the outcome of Stage 1, you can take the matter further. You can contact the relevant
customer services officer. The customer services officer will ensure that your complaint is fully investigated. We aim to respond within 10 working days. However, when a complaint is complicated we may need longer. We will explain the reasons for any delay and say when you can expect a full reply.
Stage 3
If you are still unhappy after the Stage 2 investigation, you have a right of appeal to the Council’s Chief Executive, and the Corporate Complaints Team will carry out a full review of your complaint within 15 working days. We will let you know if it is going to take us any longer. The final outcome is then passed to the Chief Executive for consideration. When making your Stage 3 appeal please explain why you are still not satisfied and what you expect from a further review. You can write to the Chief Executive C/O at:
Corporate Complaints Team
Policy & Performance
16th Floor, City Hall, 64 Victoria Street,
London SW1E 6QP
or phone: 020 7641 1911.
Local Government Ombudsman
The Local Government Ombudsman is an independent national service that investigates complaints against councils. You can complain to the Ombudsman at any time but he will usually refer a complaint back to us if it has not been through our complaints procedure. You can contact the Local Government Ombudsman at:
Local Government Ombudsman
PO Box 4771
Coventry CV4 0EH
Telephone: 0845 602 1983 (Mon-Fri 8.30am to 5pm)
email: advice@lgo.org.uk
Text: 0762 4804323
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 . If you have an enquiry about the Local Government Ombudsman’s service you can telephone their Adviceline on 0845 602 1983.
Complaints about Councillor Conduct
From 8 May 2008, you can complain to the Council’s Standards Committee that a Councillor or a Co-opted Member has not observed the statutory Code of Conduct for Members. You should send your complaint to:
The Standards Sub-Committee
c/o Mick Steward
17th Floor
City Hall
64 Victoria Street
London SW1E 6QP
More information is available from msteward@westminster.gov.uk or via telephone on 020 7641 3134.
Complaint Form - Alleged breach of Members' Code of Conduct
How are Complaints against Councillors Dealt with?
A Sub-Committee of the Standards Committee will look at your complaint and decide whether to take any action. It may refer the complaint to the Council’s Monitoring Officer to investigate or to take some other action. In exceptional cases it may refer it to the Standards Board for England.
Do you use this procedure to deal with all the complaints you receive?
No, we do not always use this procedure to deal with complaints. Your complaint will not be investigated if it is regarding something you knew about more that 12 months before contacting the council for the first time. Also some complaints have their own legal appeals procedure. These include disputes over parking tickets, planning application appeals and Housing Benefit appeals. There are also special arrangements for children and social services and complaints about schools. Our staff can tell you when we cannot deal with your complaint under this complaints procedure and what the correct appeals process is. The Council is committed to treating everyone equally. This means we will not treat anyone differently regardless of race, gender, disability, age, sexual orientation or faith.
