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Complaints procedure

 

Our customer communications procedure deals with complaints, compliments, suggestions, enquiries, and requests relating to Freedom of Information (FOI), Data Protection (DP) and Environmental Information Regulations (EIR).

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If you wish to contact the Authority you may do so via one of the following:

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FOI, DPA, GDPR and EIR communications received are formally logged on the internal Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database and a case number is assigned.

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Enquiries and suggestions are logged and the relevant area of service is informed of the details and comments are logged as customer feedback.

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If someone wishes to complain about a certain area of the park the details of the complaint will be passed to the relevant head/director of service.

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Stage 1

If someone wishes to make a formal complaint against an action or service of the Authority it will be logged, assigned a case reference number and delegated to an officer from the relevant area of service. In the event that the complaint is about an individual, the complaint will be passed to the line manager of that individual.

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The lead officer will fully investigate the complaint and provide a response within 10 working days.

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If the complaint requires more investigation, the complainant will be contacted by the most suitable method consistent with the original complaint and a reason for the delay will be provided along with a revised date for a response with CRM updated

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Stage 2

If the complainant is dissatisfied after the stage 1 investigation the complaint can be escalated to stage 2.

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Please note that for a case to be escalated the complainant must outline exactly why they are dissatisfied after stage 1, whether that is the process of investigation, the way the case has been handled by the lead officer or the recommended course of action.

A stage 2 complaint will be investigated by a Head of Service officer of the Authority.

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The officer will review the stage 1 investigation, any outcomes of the investigation and consider whether it has adequately satisfied the details of the stage 1 complaint. A response will be sent within 10 working days.

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Stage 3

If the complainant is dissatisfied after the stage 2 investigation the complaint can be escalated to stage 3.

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Please note that for a case to be escalated the complainant must outline exactly why they are dissatisfied after stage 2.

The complaint is investigated by a panel consisting of; the Authority’s Monitoring Officer (the Deputy Chief Executive), the Section 151 Officer (or Deputy) and/or a Corporate Director.

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The panel will review how the case was investigated, any outcomes and whether any further course of action or further investigation is needed. A response will be sent within 10 working days.

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Authority Member Stage

If the complainant is dissatisfied by the investigation at stage 3 the complaint can be referred to a panel of Authority Members who will review the case and make a final decision on the outcome at a designated meeting.

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The Members’ Panel shall be made up of three Members and will include the Authority’s current serving Chairman and/or the Vice Chairman with the remaining sub-committee Members to be selected from a pool of six serving Members from the Executive Committee. The panel shall also include an independent advisor who will be retained by the Authority as an available resource in such an event.

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This process will be completed as soon as practicably possible but in any event the complainant will be notified of the date and should receive a response within 10 working days of the Members’ Panel meeting.

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