Complaints
We recognise that sometimes we make mistakes, and you might need to make a complaint. When this happens, we will investigate and get back to you. You can read our full complaints policy [PDF, 0.3MB] to learn more about how we handle complaints.
Before you make a complaint, check if your issue fits into one of the following categories, which are not part of the complaints process.
Service requests
If you are reporting an issue that requires the help of one of our services, for example reporting a missed bin collection or clearing up a fly-tip, please do so on our report page. These are handled outside of our complaints process.
Our report page can also be used to report other types of envirocrime such as abandoned vehicles, bonfires, dog fouling, graffiti and breaches of planning control.
Please note that where the complaints form is used to request a service or report an incident, the complaint will be closed upon receipt.
Feedback
If you want to tell us how we did, and don’t need a response, then please go to our visit our feedback page.
Appeals
If you want to challenge a decision we've made about a service that has its own appeals process or right to legal action (for example, a planning appeal, Housing Benefit tribunal or Homelessness appeal), please contact us.
Other cases that aren't dealt with as complaints:
- additional information about an already open complaint
- complaints about something you found out about over 12 months ago
- complaints relating to the conduct of Councillors. These are dealt with by the Monitoring Officer
- complaints made by suppliers, partners, and other public authorities including complaints about Ermine Street Housing (these are dealt with by Ermine Street Housing under their own complaints policy).
- internal complaints made about staff conduct. These are dealt with by our People team.
Submit a complaint
If your issue isn’t listed in the categories mentioned and you want us to investigate and respond in writing, please fill out our online complaints form.
Complaints cannot be submitted anonymously, as we won't be able to contact you with a response. All complaints that we receive are treated professionally and in confidence, however if you wish to report an issue about the Council anonymously, please visit our feedback page.
The complaints process
There are 3 stages of complaint that can submitted. You will have to follow this process to submit a complaint:
Stage 1
Stage 1 is the first step to make a complaint.
At stage 1 a manager will review, investigate, and respond to your complaint. We aim to reply within 10 working days. If it takes longer, we’ll let you know.
You can track the progress of your complaint and communicate with us through your My South Cambs customer account.
We aim to resolve complaints effectively at stage 1, however if you are unhappy with the response, you can request that it is looked at again under stage 2 of the process.
Stage 2
You must go through stage 1 of the process before starting stage 2.
If you are not happy with the outcome of your complaint at stage 1, you can request that the complaint is looked at again at stage 2.
In stage 2 a head of service or an independent reviewer will investigate. We aim to reply within 20 working days and will let you know if it takes longer.
You can track the progress of your complaint and communicate with us through your My South Cambs customer account.
Stage 3
If you are unhappy with the stage 2 response, you can file your complaint with the Local Government Ombudsman.
For housing complaints about us a landlord, please file your complaint with the Housing Ombudsman.
They will investigate in an impartial way that doesn’t favour either us or the person who made the complaint and they will let you know of their decision.
We will also get a copy of their decision, and any action points we need to carry out.
Unreasonable (vexatious) or unreasonably persistent complaints
Sometimes, people are very persistent when they think we've made a mistake. Usually, this is okay. As outlined by the Local Government Ombudsman, if someone contacts us too often or in a way that stops us from helping them or others, it becomes a problem. This could either be during or following the completion of a complaint investigation. This situation is classed as an "unreasonably persistent complaint”.
Deciding if a complaint is unreasonably persistent
If someone doesn’t follow the complaints process, then we may label their complaint as unreasonable or persistent. Our leadership team makes this decision.
Before we do this, we make sure:
- we have thoroughly investigated the complaint
- our decision is correct
- we have communicated well with the person
- the person isn’t giving us new important information.
If we label a complaint as unreasonable or persistent, we will:
- record our decision and the reasons for it
- set a date to review this decision (within 18 months)
- inform the person about our decision and the review date.
We may also decide to take any of the following actions:
- not respond to the complaint
- limit the number of times the person can contact us
- setting specific times for phone calls
- allowing only 1 type of contact (phone, letter, or email)
- having the person talk to only one staff member as set out our Single Point of Contact (SPOC) Protocol [PDF, 0.2MB]
- require that personal meetings be held with a witness
- not accept more complaints about the same issue.
There is no way to appeal this decision. However, if someone feels unfairly treated, they can complain to the Local Government Ombudsman or Housing Ombudsman.
Violent or abusive behaviour
We know it’s frustrating when things go wrong, but remaining respectful is important. We do not tolerate or allow abusive behaviour like swearing, shouting, or threats. If this happens, we might limit access to our offices and require all communication to be in writing.
These steps help protect our staff and contractors.