CHADDESLEY CORBETT PARISH COUNCIL

DISTRICT OF WYRE FOREST – WORCESTERSHIRE

SECTION 5
COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

1. Introduction
a) Amongst the complaints which members of the public make about Local Councils are complaints about administration or procedures. The quantity of these complaints is noticeably increasing. It is in the particular interest of the Council to settle a complaint because, even if it is justified, it will in the absence of any settlement be raised again. This is bad for the Council since it wastes its time and affects its good reputation. It is also of general concern that complaints should be settled as soon as possible as experience suggests that in many cases a complaint will not be pursued if the complainant sees that it has been properly handled. If a complaint is not settled by the Council the complainant may enlist the services of other bodies and provoke considerable expenditure of time and resources.
b) In the event of a complaint about the behaviour of a Councillor, which involves an alleged breach of the Code of Conduct, there is a duty upon any individual Councillor who becomes aware of the complaint to report it direct to the Standards Board for England without Council debate.
c) As Local Councils are not subject to the jurisdiction of the Local Ombudsman, there is no independent body to which the complainant can turn for an independent formal assessment. Therefore every duly made complaint should be dealt with according to the following code, however trivial it might appear to be at first sight.
d) The receipt of a complaint is an opportunity for the Parish Council to look at its own administration and procedures, ensuring that the Council is seen to act in an open, transparent and accountable way.

2. Complaints Procedure
e) If a complaint about procedures or administration is notified orally to a Local Councillor or to the Clerk and they cannot satisfy the complainant fully, the complainant shall be asked to put the complaint in writing to the Clerk and the complainant should be assured that it will be dealt with promptly upon receipt.
f) If a complainant prefers not to put the complaint to the Clerk, they should be advised to put it to the Chairman.
g) On receipt of a written complaint the Clerk or Chairman, shall try to settle the complaint directly with the complainant, except when the complaint is about their own actions. A complaint against the Clerk or any of the Councillors should be notified to that person giving them an opportunity for comment in an attempt to settle the complaint.
h) Where the Clerk or Chairman receives a written complaint about their own actions, they shall refer the complaint to the Parish Council.
i) The Clerk or Chairman shall report to the next meeting of the Council any written complaint disposed of by direct action with the complainant.
j) The Clerk or Chairman shall bring any written complaint which has not been settled to the next meeting of the Council and the Clerk shall notify the complainant of the date on which the complaint will be considered, and the complainant shall be offered an opportunity to explain the complaint orally.
k) The Council shall consider whether the circumstances attending any complaint warrant the matter being discussed in the presence of the press or public, but any decision shall be announced at the Parish Council meeting, in public.
l) As soon as possible after the decision has been made, the nature of any action taken shall be communicated to the complainant.
m) A Council shall defer dealing with any written complaint only if it is of the opinion that issues of law or practice arise on which advice is necessary from CALC or other sources of legal advice. The complaint shall be dealt with at the next meeting after the advice has been received.