Customer Complaints
What is a complaint?
A complaint could include:
Failure of the council to provide a service
A delay in responding (or no response) to your request in the
specified timescale
The council failing to follow their agreed rules, statutory
responsibilities or published service standards
An unhelpful attitude of someone who works for the council
If you feel you have suffered any form of bias or
discrimination
Who can complain?
Anyone who has used, or requires, a council service. You can
also complain on behalf of someone else who cannot, for various
reasons, complain themselves (as long as you have their written
permission).
How long can I leave things before I complain to the
Council?
Your complaint should be brought to the attention of the council
as soon as possible but you have up to 12 months after you become
aware of any problem to submit your complaint. In exceptional
circumstances this timescale could be extended.
How do I make a complaint?
We welcome complaints in both English and
Welsh.
Contact us by:
- Telephone us on (01446) 700111
- E-mail us at C1V@valeofglamorgan.gov.uk
- Fill in the form on this
page
- In person at one of our offices
- Writing to us (see address later)
- Complaint leaflets for both adults and young people are
available in both English and Welsh.
- The council's complaint policy and process in available in both
English and Welsh.
There is a separate procedure for Social Services Complaints.
Please contact the complaints officer on 01446 704800 for further
details.
What will happen?
The Council has a three-stage complaint process. See details
below.
Stage 1:
After you have contacted us, frontline staff will attempt to
resolve your complaint and advise you of the outcome.
You should receive a response within 10 working
days.
We hope that everything is resolved to your satisfaction.
However if you are not happy with the outcome you can ask for it to
be considered under Stage 2 of the complaint process. This needs to
be done within 20 working days of the response at Stage 1.
Stage 2:
If any parts of your complaint have not been dealt with to your
satisfaction you are entitled to escalate your complaint to Stage
2. It will then be considered by a head of service or a senior
manager. To do this, you will need to identify which parts of your
complaint have not been dealt with to your satisfaction. You will
need to address your request directly to the head of service
concerned either:
If it is not possible for you to put your complaint in writing
for any reason, the member of staff will use their discretion and
offer to help you.
You should hear from us within 20 working days of you confirming
your wish to go to Stage 2 of the process.
Stage 3
If at Stage 2 the matter is still not resolved
to your satisfaction, you may ask that your complaint goes to
Stage 3 of the process. Stage 3 means that your complaint will be
investigated either by the Customer Complaints Officer or by a
Senior Officer independent of the Service you are complaining
about. You will need to do this within 20 working days of the
response at Stage 2.
To do this, you would need to identify which elements of your
complaint have still not been properly dealt with and address your
request this time to:
Customer Complaints Officer
The Vale of Glamorgan Council
Chief Executive’s Office
Civic Offices
Holton Road
Barry
Vale of Glamorgan
CF63 4RU
Telephone no. 01446 709803
The person who is chosen to investigate your complaint at Stage
3 will respond to you directly within 25 working days from the
date of their appointment.
If you prefer, you can also contact the Public Services
Ombudsman at this stage. The contact details are set out below:
Public Services Ombudsman for Wales
1 Ffordd yr Hen Gae
Pencoed
CF35 5LJ
Tel: 0845 601 0987
E-mail: ask@ombudsman-wales.org.uk
Website: www.ombudsman-wales.org.uk