Our complaints procedure
How we deal with your complaint
Before you start
The best way to sort out many problems is to contact the service directly. Where possible, a member of our service team will do their best to resolve the issue for you.
Contact details are available in letters or emails we have sent you or in our contact us section.
Regular reported concerns by residents, that are not complaints:
In some cases complaints received will be minor, day-to-day concerns, which will amount to service requests and can be addressed informally by the relevant service area. On the majority of occasions, using our reporting channels resolves a grievance quicker than completing the full complaints procedure.
General Complaints Policy
Our complaints procedure is not intended for cases where the Council has taken a decision in a proper manner, or for an explanation of a decision.
Regular reported concerns by residents, not recognised by our complaints procedure
- Issues with waste collections and missed bins - We try our best to empty all bins on the collection day however, sometimes we are unable to empty bins that contain incorrect items or when we are unable to access a road. If your bin has been missed, please wait until the next working day before reporting it.
- Reports of traffic lights, congestion and road/highway maintenance
- To comment on a planning application (please add to the application)
- Report a noise nuisance
- Grass cutting/hedge maintenance/leaf clearance concerns
- For Universal Credit advice
- Set up a Direct Debit for Council Tax payments
- Non-payment of Council Tax
- Received a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN)
- Drain and flooding Issues
There are certain types of concerns we cannot investigate
- Anonymous complaints
- Routine requests for service (eg, noisy neighbours, barking dogs) unless such a request has been dealt with improperly or with undue delay
- Dissatisfaction with politically-determined policy - such as charges applied to services provided, our non-collection of bin policy, our waste & recycling policy or our policy on Council trees – please contact your local Councillor to raise your concerns
- Complaints relating to the conduct of Borough, Parish, or Town Councillors – these follow the Members' Code of Conduct
- Matters which are subject to litigation and/or have already been before a court/tribunal
- Matters for which statutory appeal bodies or tribunals have been established - eg, parking fines
- Matters for making a claim against, or seeking compensation from, the Council
- FOI/EIR Request
- Data Protection concerns
Our procedure
Our procedure has two Levels before a complaint is referred to the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman.
- Level One - a Lead Specialist/Operational Manager of the service area involved will investigate your complaint
- Level Two - a member of the Senior Leadership Team will independently review your complaint investigation
If you are not satisfied with our explanation or suggested resolution following Level Two, you may contact the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman
- We will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days and provide you with a case number
- We aim to resolve the investigation within 15 working days (after acknowledgement)
- We will keep you informed. If an unavoidable delay occurs we will let you know with a holding letter, which may add an extension of a further 10 working days to the investigation time
- When responding we will advise who you can appeal to if you remain dissatisfied
- We will record the complaint
This record includes:
- Full name and address of complainant
- Details of the complaint, including relevant dates
- Any action taken
- Employee/service area dealing with the complaint
We keep all information confidential particularly names and address that can identify a complainant, site or complaint. However, we may be obliged to disclose some information under certain statutory provisions. Please view our privacy policy for more information.
Please note: you will be redirected to register/sign in to your MyEastleigh account when making a complaint.