Comments, compliments and complaints
As part of our continuing effort to improve the services we provide, we need to know when you are unhappy with the service you have received.
How do I give feedback?
We have separate procedures if you have a complaint about the following:
You can also write to us at:
Freepost YORKHOUSE
Please title your letter 'Comment, Compliment or Complaint' but do not write anything on the envelope except “Freepost YORKHOUSE” or it will not reach us, or you can call us on 0116 454 1000.
We're working on making improvements
We aim to provide the best possible services, within the resources available. As part of this, we aim to listen and be responsive to what you have to say. We collect customer comments, complaints, and compliments in order to influence service planning and delivery.
The purpose of a complaints procedure is to put right what has gone wrong and then learn from it. This procedure is designed to comply with the good practice as prescribed by the local government and Social Care Ombudsman and Housing Ombudsman.
Your comments are vital to us. We will use this information to improve the services that we provide to you, our customers.
What we will do:
- Forward your comments to the relevant service within one working day so they can respond directly to you if required.
- If you make a compliment, ensure that this is shared with the service/person concerned.
- Decide if a complaint falls within the statutory or the non-statutory procedure.
- Try to resolve issues before going into a formal complaints procedure. However, if you remain dissatisfied, we will follow the process described below.
Complaints
If you receive a service which falls short of your expectations, you can make a complaint and we will investigate the concerns you raise.
The complaints policy is based on the principle of an impartial review of your complaint, in the first instance by our complaints team. We aim to resolve the issues raised at the earliest opportunity.
Formal complaints
In the first instance we will review your complaint to see if it fits the definition of a complaint. If it is a request for a service or a comment on services, it will not be treated as a formal complaint.
If your complaint does meet our definition, we will follow one of two processes depending on the nature of your concerns and which ombudsman’s jurisdiction they fall under. You can find out more about who has responsibility for your complaint on the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman website.
Housing complaints - Housing Ombudsman
Following new guidance from the Housing Ombudsman, from April 2021 housing complaints will be resolved using the two-stage process outlined below.
Stage 1
Your complaint will be allocated to a Leicester City Council complaints officer who sits independent to the service area. They will work with the service area to try to resolve your complaint at the earliest opportunity.
We should reply to your complaint within 10 working days. If we need more time, we will let you know when we will be able to fully respond.
We will write to you with our response, addressing the issues you have raised in your complaint. If you are still unhappy you can escalate the complaint to stage 2 by notifying us within 28 days.
Stage 2
Another complaints officer will investigate and liaise directly with head of the service concerned. You should receive a response within 20 working days. If for any reason this is not possible, we will notify you ahead of the deadline.
If you remain dissatisfied with the stage 2 response, you may refer a complaint to the Housing Ombudsman with or without the support of a designated person i.e. a Councillor MP or recognised tenant panel.
Housing Ombudsman Service,
PO Box 152, Liverpool,
L33 7WQ
Telephone: 0300 111 3000
Email: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk
Non-housing related complaints - Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
Your complaint will be allocated to a Leicester City Council Complaints officer who sits independent to the service area’s. They will investigate with the service concerned. We may contact you for further details.
Depending upon the complexity of the complaint, we will tell you when to expect a response from our complaints team.
If we need to extend the response deadline we will keep you informed.
We will write to you with the findings of our investigation. If you are still not happy you can raise the issue with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman,
PO Box 4771, Coventry, CV4 0EH
Telephone: 0300 061 0614