Comments, Compliments and Complaints

We are committed to providing high quality services that meet your needs. Your opinions about our services are therefore very important to us.
We want to know if you think we are getting things right and welcome your suggestions for making our services even better. We accept that things can sometimes go wrong. If they do, we need to know, so we can put them right. You have a right to make complaints and we can learn valuable lessons from what you tell us. Your complaint may well improve things for everyone.

Our complaints procedure aims to:

make it easy for you to complain.
make sure you get a quick response.
give you the right to a second opinion.

Nobody who makes a complaint about the Council will be treated less favourably as a result.

Putting Things Right

If we get something wrong we will do our best to make amends. We will review our policy and procedures to try to stop it happening again. We will admit our mistakes and offer a full apology. We may also offer financial compensation if you suffered loss as a result of our mistake.

How do I make a complaint ?
Stage 1 – trying to sort it out

First of all, talk to the staff who run the service you want to complain about. You can contact the member of staff you have been dealing with or you can contact their manager. Tell them the problem and they will try to sort it out as quickly as possible. In many cases they will be able to deal with your complaint on the spot or explain why they can’t. If not, they will write to you within 10 working days with a response.

You can make your complaint in person, by phone, in writing or online.

If you don’t know who to contact, ring the Council Offices on 01254 388111and they will put you through to the right department.

What if I’m still dissatisfied ?
Stage 2 – making a formal complaint

If you are not satisfied with the answer you receive at stage 1, you can make a formal complaint.
We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days. Your complaint will be investigated by a senior member of staff, usually the Manager responsible for the service you are complaining about. We aim to give you a full reply in writing within 10 working days. Occasionally, if your complaint is very serious or complicated, it may take us a little longer to complete our investigation, but we will keep you informed of our progress and let you know when you can expect to receive a full response.

You can make a formal complaint in writing, by letter or fax or you can fill in our complaints form. Alternatively, you can telephone or visit the Council Offices ( at Scaitcliffe House, Ormerod Street, Accrington, tel. 01254 388111) and a member of staff will take down the details of your complaint or help you to complete a complaints form.

Who do I write to ?

If you decide to make a formal complaint in writing you should send it to the manager of the service you want to complain about, as follows:

Leisure Services	Parks and Open spaces Haworth Art Gallery / Oswaldtwistle Civic Theatre	Parks and Open Spaces Manager
Planning &Transportation	Planning Building Control Engineering Services	Chief Planning and Transportation Manager
Environmental health	Licensing Refuse Collection Recycling Cemeteries & Crematorium Environmental Health	Chief Environmental Services Officer
Legal & Democratic services	Elections The Council's Legal Service Local Land Charges Debt Recovery Unit Mayoral Support Committee Services Area Councils Human Resources & OD	Head of Leagal and Democratic Services
Finance	Housing Benefit Council Tax Non-Domestic Rates Billing ICT Services	Chief Finance Officer
Property Services	Management of Council owned land and property, including business estates	Corporate Property Manager
Strategic Housing &Economic Regeneration	Housing Advice Economic Development Town Centre Management Housing Market Renewal	Head of Regeneration and Housing

Can I take my complaint further ?
Stage 3 – making an appeal

If you are unhappy with the manager’s reply you can appeal to the Council’s Head of Paid Service. He will acknowledge your appeal within 5 working days and will arrange for your complaint to be investigated again by a senior manager who is independent of the service you are complaining about. You will usually receive a full reply to your appeal in writing within 20 working days. Again, if your complaint is very serious or complicated, it may take us a little longer to complete the investigation, but we will keep you informed of our progress and let you know when you can expect to receive a full response.
Your appeal should be sent to:

David Welsby
Council Offices
Scaitcliffe House
Ormerod Street
Accrington
BB5 OPF

Your appeal should be made in writing, either by letter or fax or you can complete our complaints form. If you need assistance, you can visit the Council Offices and a member of staff will take down details of your appeal.

Can I take my complaint further ?
Local Government Ombudsman

We will try to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction. If you are unhappy with the way we have dealt with your complaint, or feel you have been treated unfairly, you can complain to the Local Government Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman is an independent person who will investigate complaints that you have been caused injustice as a result of something the Council has done or not done. The Ombudsman will usually not deal with your complaint until you have been through the Council’s complaint procedure.
The address of the Ombudsman who deals with Hyndburn is:

Local Government Ombudsman
Beverley House
17 Shipton Road
York
YO30 5FZ
Phone: 01904 663200
Fax: 01904 663269
Website: www.lgo.org.uk

The Ombudsman has a leaflet called “Complaint about the Council ? How to complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman”. You can get a copy from the Council Offices or by telephoning the Ombudsman or you can download it from the Ombudsman’s website.
If you gave an enquiry about the Ombudsman’s service you can telephone their advice line on 0845 602 1983 between 9.00am and 4.30pm.

How do I complain about a councillor ?
If you want to complain about a Hynburn councillor you should contact the Council’s monitoring officer:

Head of Legal & Democratic Services
Council Offices
Scaitcliffe House
Ormerod Street
Accrington, BB5 OPF
Phone: 01254 388111

Alternatively, if you want to complain about the conduct of a councillor, you can make a complaint to the Standards Board for Engalnd, which is an independent body. The Standards Board can be contacted at:

The Standards Board for England
PO Box 36656
London, SE1 0WN
Phone: 0845 078 8181
Website: www.standardsboard.co.uk

The Standards Board has a leaflet called “Councillors Behaving Badly ?”. You can get a copy from the Council Offices or by phoning the Standards Board and you can download a copy from their website.

Useful links:

Download our complaints policy
Use our on-line complaints form
A councillor can help you to make a complaint. Find the name and contact details of your councillor .
Your complaint may relate to services provided by Lancashire County Council, such as education or social services. Use this link to find out about the County Council’s complaints procedure .

© 2006 Hyndburn Borough Council. Address: Hyndburn Borough Council, Scaitcliffe House, Ormerod Street, Accrington, BB5 0PF. Telephone: 01254 388111.
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