Complaints Procedure

Ilmington Parish Council (‘the Council’) is committed to providing a quality service for the benefit of the people who live or work in its area or are visitors to the locality. If you are dissatisfied with the standard of service you have received from this council, or are unhappy about an action or lack of action by this council, this Complaints Procedure sets out how you may complain to the Council and how we shall try to resolve your complaint.

This Complaints Procedure applies to complaints about council administration and procedures and may include complaints about how council employees have dealt with your concerns.

This Complaints Procedure does not apply to:

1. complaints between a council employee and the Council as employer. These matters are dealt with under the Council’s disciplinary and grievance procedures.
2. complaints against councillors. Complaints against councillors are covered by the Code of Conduct for Members adopted by the Council on 10th September 2012 and, if a complaint against a councillor is received by the council, it will be referred to the Standards Committee of Stratford-on-Avon District Council. Further information on the process of dealing with complaints against councillors may be obtained from the Monitoring Officer of Stratford-on-Avon District Council. https://www.stratford.gov.uk/councildemocracy/complaints-about-councillors.cfm
3. complaints of a criminal nature – such complaints should be made to the Police.

The appropriate time for influencing council decision-making is by raising your concerns before the Council debates and votes on a matter. You may do this by writing to the Council in advance of the meeting at which the item is to be discussed. There may also be the opportunity to raise your concerns in the public participation section of council meetings.

If you are unhappy with a council decision, you may raise your concerns with the Council, but Standing Orders prevent the Council from re-opening issues for six months from the date of the decision, unless there are exceptional grounds to consider this necessary and the special process set out in the Standing Orders is followed.

You may make your complaint about the council’s procedures or administration to the Clerk. You may do this in person, by phone, or by writing to or emailing the Clerk. The address and contact numbers are set out below.

Ms Pauline Rigby, Clerk to Ilmington Parish Council.

Tel: 01451 885189
Email: clerk@ilmington-pc.gov.uk

c/o Ilmington Community Shop
Grump Street
Ilmington
Shipston CV 36 4LE

Wherever possible, the Clerk will try to resolve your complaint immediately and without referring to the formal procedure. If this is not possible, the Clerk will normally try to acknowledge your complaint within five working days and instigate the formal procedure.

If the formal procedure is invoked you will be asked to put your complaint in writing, either on paper or by email. You must submit your name, address and either a telephone or email address where you can be contacted.

If you do not wish to report your complaint to the Clerk, you may make your complaint directly to the Chairman of the Council who will report your complaint to the Council.

The Clerk or the Council will investigate each complaint, obtaining further information as necessary from you and/or from staff or members of the Council.

The details of the investigation will be submitted to the Council for consideration. In order to preserve any confidentiality issues, the Council will normally deal with your complaint in private session and your details will not therefore be released publicly.

The Clerk or the Chairman of the Council will notify you within 20 working days of the outcome of your complaint and of what action (if any) the Council proposes to take as a result of your complaint. (In exceptional cases the twenty working days timescale may have to be extended. If it is, you will be kept informed.)

If you are dissatisfied with the response to your complaint, you may ask for your complaint to be reviewed by the Council and (usually within eight weeks) you will be notified in writing of the outcome of the review of your original complaint. This outcome will be final.

Anonymous complaints should be referred to the Clerk, and may be acted on at their discretion, according to the type and seriousness of the allegation.

Some disputes may need to be handled outside of this complaints procedure, for instance where legal proceedings are involved or where a claim for compensation is made that we need to refer to our insurers. If this is the case the Clerk will seek legal advice before advising you of the process to be followed.

This policy will be reviewed annually or earlier in response to new legal requirements.

Last review and re-adoption by the Council at its meeting on 26 May 2022.