Complaints - procedure
The Council's Complaints Policies
To help us keep our complaints
policy clear and concise and to ensure that we make the
complaints procedure as easy as possible for you, please take a
minute to complete our complaints policy
survey.
When can I complain?
You can complain if:
- we have told you that something would be done, but it hasn’t
been done or is taking too long;
- a member of our staff or someone working on our behalf has
treated you unfairly; or
- we have been told that you cannot have help or use a council
service.
How can I complain?
You can make a complaint in a number of ways.
- Phone us on 01622 602640.
- Email us via the
online complaints form.
- Fill in the form at the back of the complaints leaflet and
send it to the Freepost address.
- Write a letter to us
- Come in and talk to someone face-to-face.
A manager will reply within 10 working days of receiving your
complaint.
Complaint about the conduct of a Borough or Parish
Councillor
You can complain to the Council's Standards Committee that a
Councillor has not observed the statutory Code of Conduct for
Members.
For a complaint to be accepted it must meet the Referral
Criteria.
Complaints can be submitted according to the instructions
provided in the complaint
guidelines. Please use the online
complaints form to submit your complaint.
Your complaint can be made in writing by printing and
filling out the paper copy version of the complaint
form. Please send the completed form to the address
below:
Monitoring Officer
Maidstone House
King Street
Maidstone
Kent
ME15 6JQ
If you feel that a Councillor has broken one of the Council's
local protocols or the law this should also be reported in writing
to the address above.
Local Code of Conduct - Complaints about Borough and Parish
Councillors
Complaints Process
If you wish to complain about the conduct of a Member of
Maidstone Borough Council or a Member of one of our Parish or Town
Councils, you must submit your complaint via any of the channels
listed below:
The Chairman of the Standards Committee
c/o Paul Fisher
Monitoring Officer
Maidstone Borough Council
Maidstone House
King Street
Maidstone
ME15 6JQ
or email: Paul
Fisher - Complaints Officer
Usage Restrictions
Please note that the Committee can only deal with complaints
about the behaviour of a Member. It will not deal with complaints
about things that are not covered by the Members’ Code of Conduct.
If you make a complaint to the Committee it must be about why you
think a Member has not followed the Code of Conduct.
If you want, you can also get help from:
- your local councillor or Member of Parliament; or
- a specialist advice or representation organisation, such as
Citizens Advice.
What if I’m still not happy?
If you are not happy with how the service manager has handled
your complaint, you can complain to our Head of Corporate Law, Paul
Fisher.
You can also write to the complaints monitoring officer
at:
Maidstone House
King Street
Maidstone
Kent
ME15 6JQ
Please give us the reference number we have used in previous
correspondence.
If you need any extra help with language or you have a visual
disability, please tell the complaints manager this.
What happens to my complaint?
Once the complaints monitoring officer has received your
complaint he or she will respond within 20 working days.
If you are still not happy with our response, you can appeal to
the local ombudsman.
Alternative formats of this leaflet are available from the
Communications Unit on 01622 602351.
Customer Care
For information on our Customer Care Policy, please read and/or
download our Customer Care
Policy document.
Visit the Local
Governments Ombudsmen's website.
What do they do?
They investigate complaints about most council matters including
housing, planning, education and social services.
It is an independent, impartial and free
service. The Ombudsmen can investigate complaints about how the
council has done something.