Skip to main content

Complaints

How to make a complaint about a service you have received from the council within the last 12 months.

Our Report It page is the fastest way to let us know if you experience a problem such as noise, dumped rubbish, missed recycling or rubbish collection, or planning issues.

Report a problem

Complaints procedure

Stage 1

If you want to make a complaint about the service you've received from the council, you’ll need to tell us what your complaint is about so that we can direct you to the right team.

When you make a complaint to the council, it goes directly to the manager of the department that you’re complaining about. This means that problems can be resolved quickly.

Make a complaint

If you are a Westminster Housing tenant or leaseholder and wish to make a complaint about your housing service, you can also contact the housing contact centre on 0800 358 3783 or visit one of our housing service centres to make your complaint in person.

We aim to reply within 10 working days. If we require longer we will let you know.

Stage 2

If you are not satisfied with the stage 1 response, you can appeal to the Chief Executive by making a stage 2 complaint. We would expect the relevant service area to have issued a formal stage 1 response before the concern can be escalated. Stage 2 complaints must be made within 12 months from the stage 1 response.  

Your complaint will be sent to the Complaints and Customer Manager, who will carry out a review of your concerns.

When making a stage 2 complaint, please explain why you are dissatisfied and what you expect from the review.

We aim to reply within 20 working days. If we require longer we will let you know. 

Contact information for stage 2 complaints only

Email: [email protected].

Write to the Complaints Team, Finance & Resources, Westminster City Council, 16th Floor City Hall, 64 Victoria Street, London SW1E 6QP.

If you are a council tenant or leaseholder and wish to take your stage 1 complaint about a Housing Management issue to stage 2 please email [email protected] or telephone the housing contact centre on 0800 358 3783.

How we handle complaints

Through the complaints process, we aim to recognise where we get things wrong and let you know what we will do to put them right. This will include actions to fix the problem and may include compensation where appropriate. This will depend on the extent of any service failures and detriment caused. 

You are entitled to have a representative deal with your complaint or accompany you to any meetings. You can also let us know how you would like us to communicate with you about your complaint. 

Complaining to the Local Government Ombudsman

If you’re unhappy with the way that we have handled your stage 1 and stage 2 complaints, you can contact the Local Government Ombudsman.  This is an independent national service that investigates complaints against councils. 

If your complaint concerns housing management (tenant or lessee services), you should contact the Housing Ombudsman

The stage 2 response will indicate which ombudsman you should contact, or if in doubt, click on the links provided, and the ombudsman websites will explain if they can assist.

Complaints about councillors or co-opted members

Complaints about councillors or co-opted members are dealt with under a separate procedure from general council complaints.

If you believe a councillor or co-opted Member has breached the Members’ Code of Conduct, please complete this form and return to [email protected].

For more details on this procedure, please contact the Committee and Councillor Support Manager on 07971 920521.

Adult and Children's Social Services

Adults Social Services and  Children’s Social Services each has its own statutory complaints procedure.  For more information on either of the two statutory complaints procedures please contact:

Adults Social Services

Telephone: 0800 587 0072 or 0207 361 2661

Email: [email protected] 

Children’s Social Services

Customer Relationship Team for Children’s Services related complaints:

Telephone: 0207 745 6501

Email: [email protected]

Council communications

If you have a complaint about any communications issued by the council (such as posters, flyers, social media posts, newsletters, leaflets, magazines, e-newsletters etc) then please go through the usual council complaints procedure set out above.

If you have any general comments or questions about council communications, please contact us: [email protected]

Complaints that we can't investigate

There are certain types of complaints that we can't investigate, these might include:

  • where there is an alternative right of appeal e.g. a planning appeal against a planning decision, School Admissions or exclusion appeals
  • an appeal against a Housing Benefit/Council Tax decision
  • an appeal against the issue of a Penalty Charge Notice (parking ticket) or recovery action taken after the issue of the ticket
  • a matter that has already been heard by a Court or tribunal, including the council’s Benefit Review Panel
  • a matter where the customer or the council has started legal proceedings or has taken court action (this does not include cases where the customer has simply threatened legal proceedings against the council)
  • complaints more than 12 months old, i.e where the issue was known about by the customer but not reported to the council within 12 months may not be accepted, unless there is a good reason for the delay
  • complaints that involve insurance claims against the council (although there may be some aspects of the complaint that could be investigated concurrently e.g. an allegation that the service area delayed in sending information about how to make an insurance claim against the council)
  • complaints about a member of staff that would more properly be dealt with through the council’s disciplinary code or through staff management or performance procedures
  • complaints from members of staff relating to personnel matters
  • allegations of fraud or corruption that would more properly be dealt with by the council’s Anti Fraud procedures or Whistle Blowing procedure
  • complaints about Councillors or a co-opted member, as these are dealt with under a separate procedure (please get in touch with the Committee and Councillor Support Manager for more details) - to make a complaint about a Councillor, please email [email protected]
  • complaints about a council policy (the customer should be advised to contact their local Ward Councillor or write to the relevant Cabinet Member)
  • criminal actions

The above list is a general guide and not exhaustive.

If we cannot accept a complaint under the council’s complaints procedure, the complainant will be advised of this and be provided with any alternative option that might be available to them.

Where alternative options are unclear, the complainant should be advised to seek independent legal advice (at their own cost).

Complaints Policy

Find out more information on our corporate complaints policy and procedure:

Document
Complaints policy 2023
Complaints policy 2023 PDF, 210.27 KB, 7 pages

Complaints Annual Review 2022/23

Document
Complaints Annual Review 2022/23
Complaints Annual Review 2022/23 PDF, 524.37 KB, 19 pages

 

Published: 22 January 2021

Last updated: 15 March 2024