All other council services complaints
If you have not already reported your issue to the service, we may treat as a first time service request and your complaint may not be accepted.
A service request may be defined as: "a request that the organisation provides or improves a service, fixes a problem or reconsiders a decision".
This provides organisations with opportunities to resolve matters to an individual's satisfaction before they become a complaint.
When to make a complaint
Your views are important to us. We want you to tell us about your experience to help us to look at service provision and plan for future improvement. We always aim to deliver the best possible service to ensure things run smoothly but sometimes we may fall short and not meet your expectations. We recognise the importance of responding quickly when things don't go to plan.
A complaint may be defined as: 'an expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the organisation, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting an individual or group of individuals.'
Reasons why we will not investigate under the complaint's procedure
The complaint procedure does not include issues where there is a right of appeal, such as refusal of planning permission, a damage or injury claim, issue of a penalty charge or fixed penalty notice and blue badge, housing benefit or council tax reduction appeals. However, the complaint may be considered if it relates to the way the matter has been administered.
We will deal with notifications of a single service failure as a service request, for example, a report of a missed refuse collection.
If this is the case, you should use our Report-It feature, or make a General Enquiry - both options are available from our website banner, and from any page within the site.
Making a Complaint
If you're still not satisfied with the service that you've received or the explanation given, we want to hear about your experience and the issues you have encountered, so please fill in our complaints form and we'll do our best to investigate your concerns.
If you need to make a complaint to us - we will ensure that there is a mechanism in place to monitor any repetition of failures and take appropriate action to remedy this. Complaints about Council services will be processed in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulations, the Data Protection Act and associated Council policies.
Contact us using our online Complaint Form
What Happens Next
When you contact us with your complaint, we will try to sort out the problem quickly to resolve the matter.
If your complaint cannot be addressed quickly, we will acknowledge your complaint within 3 working days from the date it is received. The investigating officer may contact you to discuss your concerns further and agree a plan of investigation. You will be advised by the Complaints Team when you can expect to receive your response letter.
The person handling your complaint will carry out an investigation into your concerns and will provide a response to you. For complex complaints, we may need more time to investigate and respond to you. If this is the case, we will keep you informed.
If you are not satisfied with the complaint response, you can contact the Complaints Team who will look into this matter further and advise of the next steps.
Who can I contact for further help and advice?
If you are still dissatisfied and we have not been able to resolve your concerns, you can contact the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman to review the way we have dealt with your complaint. Their contact details are:
Postal Address:
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
PO Box 4771
Coventry
CV4 0EH
Telephone: 0300 061 0614
Online: https://www.lgo.org.uk/
Alternative ways to make a complaint
You may also contact us by:
Telephone: 01744 676789
Visit: Our Customer Hub, located in St.Helens Town Hall
Write to: Customer Service, Town Hall, Victoria Square, St Helens WA10 1HP
Please note, our Corporate Complaints Policy is currently under review and as such, the contact email information included in the document is incorrect.
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