	Connections Torbay Council Town Hall Castle Circus Torquay TQ1 3DS
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Complaints

Torbay Council defines a complaint as a customer letting us know they are unhappy;

with the quality and/or standard of service provided,
with the quality of information and/or advice given,
with the Council’s failure to comply with procedures, rules, statutory obligation or published service standards.

How to make a complaint
A complaint can be made by using our online complaints form, by emailing the service area concerned, in person, by phone, by completing our complaints form -printable version or by letter. The complaint will be passed directly to the service you are unhappy with, as they are in the best position to put things right quickly.

How we deal with your complaint
There are three stages to our corporate complaint procedures but we endeavour to sort out most problems as quickly and easily as possible.

In some instances your complaint may be handled differently and we will inform you if this is the case. Your complaint may be handled differently:

If there are legal proceedings.
If you have a separate right of appeal e.g. where a planning decision is involved or a decision about your Housing Benefit entitlement etc.
If your complaint concerns Children’s Services and comes under the Children’s Services Complaints and Representations Policy.

Stage 1
Many problems can be put right straight away. However if this is not possible we will acknowledge your complaint within five working days giving you details of the officer who will be responding to your complaint. We aim to provide you with a response within 10 working days. If we cannot reply to you within 10 days we will give you the reason why and let you know when you can expect us to contact you again.

Stage 2
If you are unhappy with the response you receive and wish to take it further, you should let the person who has been dealing with your complaint know within 25 working days. Your request should include details of what issues you are still unhappy about and what you think we should do to put things right. The head of service will arrange for your complaint to be investigated and we will aim to give you a written reply within 25 working days. If we need longer to look at your complaint we will let you know.

Stage 3
If you are still unhappy about the way we have handled your complaint you can ask the council to review your case. The Corporate Feedback Manager will appoint either the Customer Service Advocacy Manager or a senior officer from a service area not involved with your complaint to review our investigation and our responses to your complaint. The assigned officer will write to you within 25 working days to advise you of their findings and any changes to our original decision.

If you feel the problem is still not resolved
If you are still not satisfied after we have investigated and reviewed your complaint, then you can refer your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman. A leaflet produced by the Ombudsman entitled 'Complaint about the Council?' is available at our Connections offices. Alternatively you can contact the Ombudsman direct at:

Local Government Ombudsman
PO Box 4771,
Coventry
CV4 0EH

Web: www.lgo.org.uk
Email: advice@lgo.org.uk
Tel: 0845 602 1983 - Mon-Fri 8.30am to 5pm
Text: 0762 4804323

Complaints

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