How we deal with complaints

Details

For complaints received by email, we may forward your email to the appropriate Council service for investigation. Please note that by using email to raise your complaint, you are giving your consent, under data protection legislation, for your email to be forwarded for this purpose.

Our complaint procedure has four stages:

Stage 1 – Initial investigation

Where a complaint is received and investigated by an officer.

Stage 2 – Senior officer

In many cases, the complaint will have been sorted out at stage 1 of the complaints procedure. However, if you are not satisfied with the outcome, you can move to stage 2.

In these circumstances, a second investigating officer will review the decision of the stage1 investigation. The second investigating officer will be a more senior officer within the Service.

Stage 3 – Office of the Chief Executive

If, following stages 1 and 2 above, you are still not satisfied, you can refer the complaint to the Office of the Chief Executive to investigate.

A senior officer nominated by the Office of the Chief Executive will then investigate the matter further.

The response will be checked and approved by a senior manager and signed by the Chief Executive on the basis of information supplied by professionally qualified staff in the appropriate Service.

Stage 4 – Scottish Public Services Ombudsman

If you are still not satisfied, under the Ombudsman Act 2002 you have the right to complain to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman.

However, the Ombudsman will not consider a complaint unless you have gone through our complaints procedure. The Ombudsman will not normally consider complaints made more than 12 months after the date on which you found out about the matter.