Suggestions and complaints

We are committed to providing the best possible service in a friendly and courteous manner, but we know that we can always improve what we do and that sometimes things can go wrong.

If you have a suggestion
If you have a complaint
Who can complain?
How long will it take?
The stages of your complaint
What if you are still not satisfied?
How, when and where to make a complaint or suggestion

If you have a suggestion

If you can suggest how we can improve what we do, or if you have not received the quality of service you expected, please let us know. You can use the form in the leaflet available at the Council Offices, or the one below.

If you have a complaint

Please let us know if you have a complaint. We see a complaint as the chance for us to put things right. A complaint can be about:

the way we did something; or
not doing something we should have done; or
doing something we should not have done

Who can complain?

Anyone who -

lives in the Borough;
receives or asks for a service from the Council.
This includes people acting for someone else, such as parents for their children.

How long will it take?

We will normally reply to your complaint within seven working days at each stage of the procedure. If this is not possible, we will confirm that we have received your complaint within two working days and tell you when we will be able to send you a full reply. We will keep you informed if there is any delay.

The stages of your complaint

We will alway stry to deal with your complaint immediately but you can take your complaint through the different stages which follow:-

Write, phone, or call in to the department responsible for the service concerned. If you don't know which department you need, please contact Customer Services, telephone them on 01784 451499 or ask at our reception desk.
If the person who receives your complaint cannot deal with it personally, he or she will take full details and tell you who it will be passed to and how long it will take to give you an answer. You will usually get an answer within seven working days.
If you are not satisfied with the answers you receive, you can ask the senior officer responsible for managing the service concerned to look into your complaint. If you do not know who this is, contact Customer Services and they will tell you.
If you are not satisfied with the answers you get from the Head of Service, you can refer your complaint to, our Monitoring Officer and Head of Corporate Governance, Michael Graham, who will investigate your complaint personally.

What if you are still not satisfied?

We hope we will be able to sort out any complaints you have, but we know that sometimes you may still not be satisfied, even when you have been through all stages of our procedure.

In that case, you may wish to refer your complaint to your local councillor or the Local Government Ombudsman. 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 Ombudsman who deals with this Council is :-

10th Floor Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP
Telephone: 020 7217 4620
Email: enquiries.london@lgo.org.uk
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 can get a copy by telephoning or writing to the address above, or you can download it from the Ombudsman's website at www.lgo.org.uk

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

If you want to contact your councillor, contact details can be found by clicking here or telephone Customer Services on 01784 451499 for details.

How, When and Where to make a complaint or suggestion.

You can contact us:-

By telephone;
In writing;
In person;
By email;
or through any of our staff who are not based at the Council Offices, e.g. at Day Centres.

You may contact us in the following ways:

Telephone	01784 451499
Facsimile:	01784 463356
Minicom	01784 446423
DX	98044-Staines2
E-mail:	customer.services@spelthorne.gov.uk
Web:	www.spelthorne.gov.uk
Opening Hours:	8.45am - 5pm (Monday to Thursday)
	8.45am - 4.45pm (Friday)

Our address is

Spelthorne Borough Council
Council Offices
Knowle Green
Staines
TW18 1XB

If when you telephone you are put through to an answerphone, please leave a message explaining your suggestion or complaint and we will get back to you the same day or the next working day.

If you wish you can use the Suggestions and Complaints Form

If you need further help contact

John Foggo – (Head of Customer and Office Services - 01784 446388)
Michael Graham – (Monitoring Officer and Head of Corporate Governance - 01784 446227)