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Luton Borough Council

Comments, compliments and complaints

How to report a problem and who to contact with complaints about council services.

Report it

Before making a complaint, have you contacted the service in question to resolve your issue? If you're contacting us about an issue for the first time, please get in touch with the service directly so that we have the opportunity to put things right.

Services with separate complaints procedures

The services below deal with complaints in different ways. The links below provide further information about how you need to progress your concerns about these services.

If you've tried reporting the problem through these methods and it hasn't been resolved, you can complete the form below to make a complaint.

How we deal with complaints

All other complaints, or an issue that hasn't been resolved after reporting it, follow our corporate complaints process. This explains how we'll deal with a complaint.

Making a complaint should not be your first step to resolving your issue. If you haven't already done so, please see our report it page to find out how to raise an issue with services.

Telling us about your issue will not have a negative effect on the service you receive. We welcome any feedback that helps us improve and maintain standards.

This process is for you to make a complaint about service delivery, such as trouble using the online bidding system or repeatedly missed bin collections. There are two stages to our complaints procedure - download a PDF version of this complaints procedure

Stage 1 - we try to resolve issues quickly and will try to resolve things informally whenever possible. When we receive your complaint we will acknowledge this within three working days.

Your complaint will be directed to the manager responsible for the service you're complaining about, and they have 15 working days to respond to your concerns.

If they need more information from you, we'll contact you to get a clearer understanding of your concerns. They'll provide a full response and explain any changes which may result from your complaint. They'll also tell you how to take the matter further if you're not happy with our response.

Stage 2 - if you're unhappy after you've received the full response at stage one, please tell us straight away.

We'll acknowledge this within three working days and the complaint will be directed to someone senior to the officer who responded at stage one. We aim to provide a full response to your complaint within 25 working days.

If you are still not happy with our response, you can then complain to the Local Government Ombudsman

This process will not be used if there's a more appropriate way of dealing with your concerns, for example:

  • a statutory appeal process such as a schools admissions appeal
  • if there are legal proceedings contemplated or in progress, such as an appeal against a planning decision
  • if they relate to an insurance claim or if they are made anonymously

Additional information

Please note that in line with new (April 2024) the Local Government and Housing Ombudsman have provided joint guidance and we will be reviewing the complaints policy in the next few months.

If you are a housing tenant, however from the 1 April 2024 in line with the Housing Ombudsman Service Complaint Handling code there are some changes.

Using advice from that code, we may consider your contact as a service request.

This means we have recognised that you have asked for action to be taken to address an issue. We have therefore directed your request to the relevant team to resolve this matter and they will contact you directly within 10 working days.

Please be assured that service requests are dealt with within the same timescales and are reported as part of our complaints monitoring procedures.

Should you be dissatisfied with the response provided by the relevant team a Stage 1 complaint will be opened and acknowledged within five working days and responded to within 10 working days of the acknowledgement.

If you are still dissatisfied, you can request a Stage 2 review of the complaint, acknowledged within five working days and the responded within 20 working days

If you are still unhappy with our response, you can contact the Housing Ombudsman

You have the right to take the matter further to the:

Housing Ombudsman
Housing Ombudsman Services,
81 Aldwych,
London
WC2B 4HN 

T: 0300 111 300
Fax:  020 781 1942
E: [email protected]
W: www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk

Make a comment, compliment or complaint

Now that you understand the procedure, if you wish to make a comment, give a compliment or make a complaint about a service provided by us, please click the green button below to complete our online form. 

Alternatively, please contact us using the details below.

 

Contact info
Feedback
Luton Council, Town Hall, George Street, Luton, LU1 2BQ
Tel: 01582 546398

 

© 2024 Luton Council, Town Hall, Luton LU1 2BQ