Please read the procedure before completing either the On-line complaints form or On-line compliments form.
1. We encourage complaints and suggestions so that we can learn from them and improve our services.
2. We define a complaint as "an expression of dissatisfaction with the Council, its service or its staff"
3. If you are not entirely satisfied with the service that you have received from us, we want to know about it. We will do our best to provide a prompt response to any complaint and, if the complaint is justified, to put the matter right as soon as possible.
4. Firstly, you should take the problem up with the department that provides the service. Please click here for our A - Z of services.
5. We would normally expect any problems to be satisfactorily addressed at this level, and where appropriate put right.
Where the problem cannot be addressed to your satisfaction, you can then take your complaint to the next level.
6. If you are not satisfied with the response and wish to take the matter further, you can either:
a) Phone the Council's "Complaints Hotline" on 01453 754444; or
b) Write to "The Complaints Officer" at Ebley Mill.
c) Fax the Complaints Officer at Ebley Mill, on 01453 754934.
d) Fill out our On-line complaints form.
e) E-Mail to complain@stroud.gov.uk.
7. If you have written to us, we will acknowledge receiving your complaint within three working days. Unless otherwise agreed, we will give a full written response to all complaints within ten working days.
If we have to take longer, we will write and explain why and will inform you when you can expect the full response.
8. Normally a complaint at this level will be passed to the respective Strategic Head for investigation and reply. Complaints relating to Strategic Head's will be investigated and replied to by the Chief Executive.
9. Where a complaint is against the Chief Executive, depending on the circumstances and seriousness of the complaint, the Chair of Council will appoint a suitable independent third party to investigate and report.
10. The Complaints Officer will notify the relevant ward councillor(s) of any complaint from within their ward at the time when it is received and will also ensure that they are sent a copy of the full written response.
11. As part of the written response, the complainant will be automatically informed of their right to take their complaint to a Commissioner for Local Administration (Ombudsman) and of the procedure by which they can do this if they are dissatisfied with the Council's response. Investigation by the Ombudsman is known as Level Three of the Council's Procedure.
12. The Complaints Officer will record and monitor the progress of all complaints received at this level, to ensure that responses comply with the timescales in paragraph 7 above.
Copies of all correspondence relating to your complaint, including the final response, will be passed to our Complaints Officer for filing and analysis.
13. The Complaints Officer will prepare an annual analysis of complaints received at this level by number, cause, length of time taken to investigate and reply, and outcome, and this will be circulated to councillors.
If you are unhappy with the response to your complaint that you get from either the Strategic Head or Chief Executive then you can take your complaint to the Local Governement Ombudsman.
Please go to the Ombudsman's website - www.lgo.org.uk where you can get information on how to complain.
The Local Goverment Ombudsman's annual report on complaints received against Stroud District Council along with the letter containing the Ombudsman's reflections on these, are available to download below:
PDF
Ombudsman Covering Letter (PDF 23KB) - 09/07/2009
PDF
Ombudsman 2009 Annual Report (PDF 23KB) - 09/07/2009
PDF
Ombudsman 2009 Annual Review (PDF 32KB) - 09/07/2009
