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Make a complaint

Contents

Putting the customer first

Read our Complaints Policy.

Please be assured issues raised will be treated in confidence and without prejudice.

Data Protection

Under General Data Protection Regulations 2018 (GDPR), any personal details or information obtained in order to appropriately process your formal complaint in line with procedure will be stored securely and will only be used for the purposes as intended in conjunction with the GDPR principles.

Exceptions to our Complaints Procedure

If you want to tell us about litter, fly-tipping, street cleaning, refuse collection, missed bins, or the condition of an open/green space including trees/grass verges and you haven't told us about this before, this is a request for service:

  • Missed Bins (please report a missed bin using this form)
  • Litter
  • Fly Tipping
  • Street Cleaning
  • Refuse Collection
  • Grass Verges - Grass cutting verges complaints/enquiries – please contact Nottinghamshire County Council (Highways)
  • For planning matters visit the Planning Complaints, Comments or Compliments Page.
  • To complain about a Councillor please see the information given on our Local Councillors page of this website.
  • If your complaint is about street lighting, pavements or road issues, Nottinghamshire County Council are responsible for these areas, please visit their Report a Road Problem page of their website for further information.
  • Complaints about policies and decisions made by elected members do not fall within the remit of the complaints procedure. However a complaint about the way in which the policy or decision has been implemented by the Council does. We will however, feedback residents’ views on policies and decisions made by elected members to the relevant portfolio holder.

Complaints relating to Freedom of Information requests

If you are dissatisfied with the response that you have received to a Freedom of Information Request, you are entitled to request an internal review of the matter within the Council's complaints procedure.

The matter will be addressed by the Council's Legal Services Team who will provide a response within 20 working days of receipt of the complaint.

If you remain dissatisfied with the handling of your request or complaint the Act confers a further right to complain to the Information Commissioner.  During the current circumstances with the Coronavirus Pandemic the ICO are asking if possible to be contacted online and not to correspond by post. You can also call them on 0303 123 1113 or via email mail@ico.gsi.gov.uk.  However the Information Commissioner will not usually consider a complaint if the complainant has not utilised their one right of review via the Council’s complaints procedure.

Housing tenants

If you are a Housing tenant and wish to make a complaint or suggestion about your property

Translation

If you require translation or interpretation of any of our services then please contact 01909 533 533.

Our Promise to you

  • We will acknowledge receipt of your comment within 5 working days
  • We will answer all complaints/suggestions within 10 working days
  • We will use plain language
  • We will give you a contact name and telephone number

We will

  • Listen to you
  • Put things right if they go wrong
  • Take action as soon as possible at any stage
  • Keep you informed
  • Improve our services to meet with your needs

Complaint Handling Code and Housing Ombudsman Scheme

Complaints about the Council’s Housing Service are handled by the Housing Ombudsman. The Housing Ombudsman is keen to encourage local settlement wherever possible and has set up a scheme where a Designated Person can act on behalf of a complainant. The role of the Designated Person is to mediate, negotiate and if necessary refer the complaint to the Housing Ombudsman for investigation.

Designated Persons can be:

  • A Bassetlaw District Councillor
  • A Member of Parliament
  • A Member of a Tenant Panel (Please note: Bassetlaw District Council does not have a Tenant Panel that considers complaints)

A complainant can contact any of the approved Designated Persons and request that they look into the Housing complaint. From 1 October 2022, due to changes to the Housing Ombudsman Scheme, residents can now go directly to the Housing Ombudsman if they remain dissatisfied at the end of the complaints process without referral by a designated person or without having to wait eight weeks.

The Housing Ombudsman details are: telephone 0300 111 3000, email: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk, postal address: PO Box 1484 Unit D, Preston PR2 0ET.

What happens if I am not happy with the response to my complaint at stage one?

We will arrange for the matter to be reviewed under the next stage, (stage two) of the complaints procedure by the Chief Executive of the Council.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

If you have been through all stages of our complaints procedure and are still unhappy, you can ask the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to review your complaint.

The Ombudsman investigates complaints in a fair and independent way - it does not take sides. It is a free service.

The Ombudsman expects you to have given us chance to deal with your complaint, before you contact them. If you have not heard from us within a reasonable time, it may decide to look into your complaint anyway. This is usually up to 12 weeks but can be longer for social care complaints that follow a statutory process.

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About the Ombudsman

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is the final stage for complaints about councils and some other organisations providing local public services. It also investigates complaints about all adult social care providers (including care homes and home care agencies) for people who self-fund their care.

Contact

Website: Local Government Ombudsman
Telephone: 0300 061 0614

Opening hours

Monday to Friday: 10am to 4pm (except public holidays).

Last Updated on Wednesday, January 29, 2025