CUSTOMER FEEDBACK PROCEDURE

Compliments, Comments & Complaints

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Policy number CC113
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Equality Impact Assessment

The Council strives to ensure equality of opportunity for all both as a major employer and as a
service provider.

The Customer Feedback Procedure has been equality impact assessed to ensure fairness and
consistency for all.

Version Control Schedule: Customer Feedback Procedure

Author (Post Holder Title) Customer Services Manager

Type of Document Procedure
Document Number CC113
Document File Name Customer Feedback Procedure
Issue date October 2019
Document Held by (name section) Customer Services
For internal publication only or external also Internal / External
Document stored on Council website Yes
Next Review October 2021
Approved by Corporate Management Board

Change History Date Comments

Version 1 March 2018 Full review

Version 2 October 2019 Full review
Version 3
Version 4

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Policy number CC113
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 Table of Contents

1. Introduction 4

2. Objectives 4

3. What type of feedback can you give? 4

4. Procedure 5

5. Key principles 5

6. What may be complained about? 5-6

7. What is exempt from this complaints procedure? 6-7

8. Compensation claims 7

9. A complaint regarding external contractors 7

10. Anonymous complaints 7

11. Who may complain? 7

12. Values 7-8

13. Framework for managing complaints 8

14. Time limits 8

15. What is expected from us? 8-9

16. Stages of complaints 9

17. Informal complaint 9

18. Stage 1 – formal investigation 9 – 10
19. Stage 2 – review 10
20. Local Government Ombudsman 10 – 11
21. Complaints about a policy 11
22. Equalities – support and advocacy 11
Appendix 1 – Unreasonably Persistent and Vexatious Customers On a separate
Procedure document

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1. Introduction

At Northampton Borough Council we care about everybody who lives or works

in the town, is a visitor or uses our services. We are committed to delivering an
excellent quality of service and want to hear what you think of us, whether you
are happy with what we do or have an idea for improvement.

This document sets out our procedure for working with customers who would
like to make representations, including complaints, about the actions, decisions
or apparent failings of the services we provide. One of the ways in which we
acquire comments and opinions, in order to influence service planning and
delivery, is through our customers’ feedback.

We want to hear when we get it wrong, or could have done better, when we fail
to do something we said we would or when we treat you unfairly. We hope this
procedure for dealing with comments, compliments and complaints will make it
easier for you to provide us with this valuable feedback.

2. Objectives

Our objectives are to:

 Provide an effective means of communication for members of the public to
give us feedback on their experience with the Council;
 Provide a procedure that is accessible, open and fair to all members of the
public;
 Ensure complaints are dealt with in a courteous and efficient manner and
resolved without avoidable delay;
 Maintain records of complaints so that regular reporting can be produced
and learning identified and shared across the Council to improve our
services and policies;
 Promote our procedure so that all sections of the community understand it,
can access it and feel confident to use it;
 Train our staff and Councillors to be sensitive to the needs of our diverse
community.

3. What type of feedback can you give?

Comments

If a customer wants to make a comment about anything that the Council does
or, if they would like to make a suggestion on how we could improve the
services that we provide, we will record the information and ensure that the
relevant service area is provided with the details.

Compliments

If customers receive a particularly good service and wish to make a compliment,

we will ensure that the person, or service, is made aware.

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 Complaints

If a customer is dissatisfied with the standard of service received from the

Council, the action or lack of action taken or a decision we have made. This
may be an expression of dissatisfaction about our services, staff or policies.

Details of how to provide feedback to the Council can be found on the link
below:

www.northampton.gov.uk/feedback

4. Procedure

This is a procedure for NBC Corporate Complaints only. Complaints relating

specifically to Northampton Partnership Homes (NPH) should be dealt with via
their Complaints Procedure which can be found on the link below:

http://selfserve.northamptonpartnershiphomes.org.uk/customer-feedback/

NPH is an arms-length management organisation (ALMO) responsible for the

management of the Council housing services. Feedback relating to NPH is
documented on the Councils CXM (Customer Excellence Management)
system.

Our Complaints Procedure is framed to:

 Provide a quality and responsive service;
 Acknowledge that all people who receive services have a right to complain,
if they think that something that should have been done has not been done,
or that something has been done badly or incorrectly.

5. Key Principles

This Procedure is designed to:

 Ensure that customers are treated fairly and assist them in making a
complaint by the process being easy and straightforward to use;
 Be accessible;
 Ensure that complaints will be investigated as quickly and thoroughly as
possible, and in a positive, problem-solving manner;
 Ensure that the outcome and resolution of complaints will be used to monitor
the Council’s performance and improve service delivery;
Reflect the Council’s and its service areas desire to provide a quality service.

We will endeavor to ensure that customers receive whatever help and

guidance they require to aid them in making a complaint, or in understanding
the procedure. Where appropriate this help will include the provision of
interpreters and advocates.

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6. What may be complained about?

A complaint may arise as a result of many things relating to a service’s functions

such as:
 An unwelcome or disputed decision (if no appeal process applies – see
examples in the following section);
 Concern about the quality or appropriateness of a service;
 Delay in decision making or provision of services;
 Delivery or non-delivery of services, including complaints procedures;
 Quantity, frequency, change or cost of a service;
 Attitude or behaviour of staff (unless it warrants internal disciplinary action).

7. What is exempt from this complaints procedure?

There are occasions when this procedure will not be the appropriate procedure
to be used for instance when it is:
 An initial request for service to be delivered is not a complaint;
 NPH complaints;
 Appeals about parking fines/penalty charge notice;
 Appeals about a homeless decision;
 Appeals about banding decisions under the choice based letting scheme;
 Appeals about planning applications;
 Planning consultation responses;
 Appeals about recharge fees for repairs;
 Appeals about fixed penalty charges;
 Matters subject to legal action;
 Political comments;
 A staff employment issue, where disciplinary and grievance procedures will
be used;
 Housing Benefit appeals;
 A complaint about the conduct of Heads of Service; these will be referred
directly to the Chief Executive.
 A complaint regarding the conduct of a Councillor; these will be referred
directly to the Monitoring Officer;
 A complaint about the Chief Executive; these will be referred directly to the
Monitoring Officer;
 Matters under consideration by the Courts and Tribunal;
 Whistleblowing – where staff are raising issues. These will be dealt with
under the whistleblowing procedures;
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  Not related to the actions or decisions of this local authority, or of anybody
acting on our behalf;
 The same complaint that has already been dealt with by our complaints
procedure;
 The complaint is more than 12 months old and it would not be possible for
the Council to consider the complaint effectively and fairly, e.g. due to
changes in staffing and document retention timescales;

 There is a potential or actual insurance claim (see section 8);

This list is not exhaustive.

8. Compensation claims

Usually this involves the customer suffering loss or injury arising out of an
alleged negligent act by the Council, its employees or agents. Such complaints
will be forwarded to the Council’s Insurance Officer and the customer informed.

9. A complaint regarding external contractors

If the complaint involves services that are provided for the Council by external
providers, the Council wishes to be notified if there is a problem. However, it is
important that the external provider be given the opportunity to investigate and
try to resolve the complaint directly with the customer.

Each external provider has their own complaints procedure in line with their
contractual obligation to the Council.

10. Anonymous complaints

From time to time the Council receives anonymous complaints and, although
these will be passed to the relevant service for information, ordinarily there will
be no further action unless the service involved considers it appropriate to do
so.

11. Who may complain?

The Council will consider representations including, complaints made to us by

any customer or third party who is contacting us on the customer’s behalf. A
complaint by a representative will not be considered by the Council unless it is
satisfied that the representative is acting with the explicit consent of the
customer, or under a Power of Attorney.

12. Values

This procedure sets out certain values that the Council regards as central to this
process:
 That services and information about services should be readily available and
easy to understand;

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  That customers are involved as fully as possible in our processes to promote
better services;
 That people have rights, and can ask the service to account for its action, or
inaction, on their behalf;
 That people have the right to redress when the services provided have not
been good enough and when there has been an injustice caused by the
service.

These values establish a number of things for our services and for our staff:
 That the Council should be trying to provide a quality service that is fit for
purpose and resilient. Where this does not happen, for any reason, then the
Complaints Procedure offers a means of redress and of improving the
quality of the service provided;
 The rights of individuals to complain are clear. However, the right of staff to
equally fair treatment is also explicit. This procedure does not provide a
means of placing one person’s “rights” above those of another.

13. Framework for managing complaints

Service Areas should be able to deal with the majority of issues that customers
raise quickly, and informally, and are encouraged to do so. Therefore all
complaints received will be directed to the relevant service area in the first
instance for them to address directly with the customer, and ensure that
appropriate recording on the Council’s Complaints system takes place.
However, if following this, the customer finds that their issue(s) have not been
resolved there is the option for the customer to progress their issues as a formal
complaint.

It is important that customers are aware that this procedure applies to formal
complaints only. It does not apply to 'service requests' or 'reporting a problem'
e.g. a request for fly-tipping removal. It does not apply to a planning application
objection or a complaint about Council policy.

14. Time limits

Complaints about issues or events that occurred more than 12 months prior to
the date of the complaint will not normally be considered unless any of the
following circumstances apply:
 The customers were not aware, until beyond the period of 12 months, of the
actions of the Council which now form the subject of the complaint;
 The customer was incapacitated by ill-health beyond the 12 month period
which prevented him/her from making a complaint within the allowed
timescales and they can provide proof of this;
 It would have been unreasonable for the complaint to have been made
earlier than it was.

15. What is expected from us?

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 Service Areas should be able to deal with the majority of issues that customers
raise quickly and will be encouraged to:
 Handle your comments, compliments and complaints with dignity and
respect, treating you fairly and equally;
 Respond to your feedback, tell you what we are able to do, or what we are
not able to do, and why;
 Admit when things go wrong, to put them right at the earliest opportunity and
provide the service you want ,whenever possible;
 Treat your feedback seriously and confidentially and carry out a full and
impartial investigation of your complaint;
 Acknowledge and respond to your communications within the specified time
limit;
 Tell you the name of the section that will deal with your enquiry and keep
you informed of progress;
 Learn from your feedback, tell you what we have done with your feedback
and improve our services as a result;
 Tell you if this procedure does not cover your complaint (e.g. if there is a
statutory right of appeal) and advise you of the course of action you need to
take.

16. Stages of complaints

Our aim is to be able to resolve most complaints at first point of contact. Where
we are unable to resolve your complaint straight away we will follow this
procedure:

The procedure contains an internal informal procedure and two formal stages.

17. Informal complaint

If you are dissatisfied with one of our services:

 Tell the advisor and they will refer your enquiry to the relevant service area
as an informal complaint. The service area will contact you within 3 working
days to seek a mutual resolution. If one cannot be found they will advise you
why they are unable to help you further.
 If your complaint relates to a service provided by our waste contractor, you
will be notified by the advisor and will be contacted by our contractor within 3
working days to seek a mutual resolution.
 If your complaint relates to a service provided by NPH, you will be notified by
the advisor and your complaint will be passed to NPH (see section 4).
 If a customer wishes to complain about more than one aspect of
Northampton Borough Council’s services which cross service areas, the
complaint will be raised to the area most involved. The ‘Complaints
Champion’ for that area will act as coordinator for the complaint and liaise
with all service areas concerned to provide a holistic response. All
timescales referred to above will apply, unless the customer is advised of
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 any extenuating circumstances which would delay our reply.

18. Stage 1- formal investigation

If it has not been possible to resolve the complaint informally, it will be recorded
formally on the Council’s Complaints system. The relevant service area will
investigate the complaint and respond to the customer within the timescales set
out in this procedure.

Formal complaints can be made by:

 Completing an online feedback form;
 Emailing Customer Services - customerfeedback@northampton.gov.uk

We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days. The matter will be
investigated by the Manager of the service being complained about and a
written response provided within 10 working days.

If for any reason we are unable to provide a full response within this timescale,
we will tell you why and when you can expect a full response.

19. Stage 2 - review

If a customer is not satisfied with the stage 1 response they have the right to
request that the Head of Service of the relevant service area reviews the
matter. In order to escalate this to a Stage 2 complaint the customer must
advise what they are unhappy with and what they would like to see happen to
resolve the complaint. The Head of Service will review the previous decision(s)
and decide if they were fair and reasonable. The Chief Executive is made
aware of all Stage 2 complaints received by the Council and will monitor these
to ensure an impartial investigation has taken place.

We will acknowledge receipt of the complaint within 5 working days. The Head
of Service will investigate the complaint and send the Council’s final response
within 20 working days.

If for any reason we are unable to provide a full response within this timescale,
we will tell you why and when you can expect a full response.

20. Local Government Ombudsman

If a customer is unhappy about the way that the Council has dealt with their
complaint they can contact the Local Government Ombudsman who is
independent and can investigate complaints about most Council matters. The
Ombudsman would normally expect a complaint to be made to them within 12
months of when the complainant first knew of the problem that they are
complaining about.

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 The Local Government Ombudsman normally requires all complainants to go
through all stages of their Council's own Complaints Procedure before
considering the complaint. However, in certain circumstances the Ombudsman
has the discretion to waive this requirement. This might be because delay could
cause harm to the complainant. The complainant should be advised of the
normal requirement to complete the Council's Complaints Procedure but also
that they can contact the LGO Advice Team for further advice.

Full details of how the Local Government Ombudsman deals with complaints
can be found on the Ombudsman website www.lgo.org.uk

Their contact details are:

The Local Government
Ombudsman PO Box 4771
Coventry
CV4 0EH
Tel: 0300 061 0614
Fax: 024 7682 0001
Web www.lgo.org.uk

An early referral to the Ombudsman may be appropriate when the Council

does not agree with the complainant that the complaints are substantively valid
and the 2 parties disagree on the way forward. This is more likely with a
persistent complainant. Should the Council take this option, it should not
contact the Ombudsman directly but should indicate to the complainant that
s/he may make this approach. The Council should confirm to the complainant
that it is not responding to the complaint further (see Appendix1).

21. Complaints about a policy

Complaints about the Council’s policies will be dealt through this procedure.
Where possible we will try to help you by explaining the benefits of the policy
and the reasoning behind it. If you are still unhappy, you have the right to
request that the matter be investigated in accordance with Stage 2 of this
Procedure. Once the review has been completed and a response has been
sent, we will not pursue the complaint any further through our procedure. We
will, however, advise you that you can discuss this matter with your local
Councilor, who will explain the rationale behind the policy decision.

Complaints about policy decisions are identified through reporting and

supplied to the Council’s Management Board and Cabinet.

22. Equalities - support and advocacy

Many people feel daunted at the prospect of making a complaint and are
unsure how to go about it or how best to put their case. They may fear that the
Council will withhold services or treat them less favorably if they complain.

Northampton Borough Council expressly welcomes complaints from all

sections of the community, and may encourage people to seek support from
friends or other representatives who may be able to assist them in making a
complaint. The Council will advise people on where to find such assistance as
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appropriate.

Assistance will be given where appropriate to people who have difficulty with
written or spoken English and to disabled people. People will also be able to
make complaints in their own language if this is preferable. The Council’s
intention is that all members of the public should have full access to the
Complaints Procedure.

To achieve this we will:

 Make interpreters available when required;
 Make our documentation and forms available in other formats if requested.
If you require help completing the form, you can do this by
 Asking a member of staff in our One Stop Shop;
 Ringing the Customer Services Team on 0300 330 7000.
If your issue is complex, or relates to more than one department, you may be
asked to put your complaint in writing or complete our feedback form. This
would be to ensure all points are investigated.

We attempt to raise resolve all complaint in one response, however complex

complaints that cross over a number of departments may be responded to
separately resulting in your receiving a response to each issue.

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