The Complaints Procedure

We have a simple three stage procedure for complaints

Stage 1

The Local Manager - (Stage 1: The problem solving stage)
The first step is to raise your complaint with the local manager in charge of the service. The local manager will look at why you are unhappy with the service and make checks to see if we have dealt with the matter properly before giving you an answer.

Most complaints should be resolved at the first stage at a local level. Please give the service area the opportunity to respond to and resolve your complaint before taking it further.

If you are not sure who to contact, you can find details from the 'A-Z of Hackney Services' which gives phone numbers and addresses of our main services. Or, you can contact the council on 020 8356 3000 or e-mail info@hackney.gov.uk

We aim to give you a full response within 15 working days. If there are reasons why this will not be  possible, we will contact you and give you a new date for our response.

Stage 2

The Service Complaints Officer - (Stage 2: The investigation stage)
If you are not satisfied with the outcome at stage 1, you can take the matter further.  Information on how to do this will be included in your stage 1 response.  Your complaint will be investigated by a complaint officer within the relevant department.  The complaint officer will have had no previous involvement with your complaint.

Again we aim to respond at this stage within 15 working days

Stage 3

The Standards and Complaints Team - (Stage 3: The independent review stage)
If you are still unhappy after the service complaints officer has completed his/her investigation then you can ask for your complaint to be considered by the Standards and Complaints Team. We will carry out a thorough, independent review of your complaint within 20 working days. We will let you know if it is going to take us longer.

The Standards and Complaints Team are based at Hackney Town Hall. Their address  is:

Standards and Complaints Team
London Borough of Hackney,  
Freepost LON 18986,
LONDON E8 1BR
Phone: 020 8356 3770
Fax:      020 8356 3242
E-mail complaints@hackney.gov.uk

Although we can deal with most types of complaint using this system, there are some types which it does not cover. Even so, you will still receive a reply from us telling you how else you can complain.   

The Local Government Ombudsman

Are you unhappy with the way the Council has dealt with your complaint? Visit the website of The Commission for Local Administration in England at: www.lgo.org.uk

The Local Government Ombudsman is an independent person who investigates allegations of maladministration causing injustice to the person who has complained. The Ombudsman investigates complaints about most council matters including housing, planning, education, social services and council tax.  The address of the Local Government Ombudsman is:

Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP
Telephone: 020 7217 4620
Fax: 020 7217 4621

The Local Government Ombudsman has a leaflet called 'Complaint about the Council?  How to complain to the Local Government Ombudsman'.  You get a copy by telephoning or writing to the address above, or you downland it from the Ombudsman's website.

If you have an enquiry about the Local Government Ombudsman's service you can telephone their Advice line on 0845 602 1983.

Your Local Councillor

You can also contact your local ward councillor to help. You can write to him or her at Hackney Tow

n Hall or visit at their local surgery. You can get their names and details of how to contact them from Your councillors.

Complaints about Members

The council has a Code of conduct that sets out the rules that govern the behaviour of members. All members, elected, co-opted and independent, are required to comply with the code. If any person reasonably believes that a Member has broken the code, they can write to the Standards Board for England. The Standards Board has the statutory powers to investigate allegations that individual Members have breached the Code of Conduct. There address is:

The Standards Board for England
Fourth Floor, Griffin House
40 Lever Street
Manchester, M1 1BB
United Kingdom

General enquiries:
Telephone: 0161 817 5300
Fax: 0161 817 5499
Minicom: 0161 817 5449
Email: enquiries@standardsboard.gov.uk

Complaints: 0800 107 2001 referrals@standardsboard.gov.uk

For more information about the work of the Standards Board, visit their website at www.standardsboard.co.uk.  

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Page updated: 14 Oct 2008