WNDC Complaints Procedure
The Corporations Service Commitment
We are committed to
providing the highest standards of service to everyone we deal
with. Complaints as well as feedback and suggestions for
improvement are welcomed as they help us to review our service
performance and identify where it can be improved.
We aim to provide a complaints procedure that
is;
- Accessible
- Easy to use
- Fair to all parties
- Confidential
- Speedy
- Efficient
We will monitor and analyse complaints as part
of our review of service performance and will regularly review the
effectiveness of our complaints procedure to ensure that it remains
relevant, credible and robust in its operation.
What is a complaint?
A complaint for the
purposes of this procedure is one that relates to;
Any expression of
dissatisfaction with the service provided or action carried out by
a Corporation employee or person or body acting on behalf of the
Corporation and be verbal or written.
It does not include;
Dissatisfaction with
general Government policies, or local authorities or the
Corporations own policies, which should be dealt with in normal
correspondence
Dissatisfaction with a person or organisation applying for
Corporation funding or a contract
Dissatisfaction about Board Members – WNDC has a separate Code of
Practice for Board Members; and
Complaints that are currently the subject of legal proceedings
Making a Complaint
STAGE ONE – Informal
If you have a complaint
about our services you should in the first instance contact the
Corporation member of staff with whom you have been dealing or the
person responsible for the project. It is usually possible to
resolve complaints in this way.
You can telephone, fax,
post or email your complaint. If you prefer, you may ask a
friend or relative to make a complaint on your behalf, or you may
ask a voluntary or community group to take up your complaint with
us.
We believe it is best to
act speedily and on the spot to respond to complaints. In the
first instance, we will aim to resolve your complaint informally
either in person or in writing.
STAGE TWO – Formal
If it is not appropriate
to contact the staff member direct as referred to in stage 1 above,
or you are not satisfied with the Stage 1 response, you should
write or speak to “The Complaints Officer” at WNDC, at the address
below, who will refer the complaint for investigation to the
Director responsible for that service or staff member.
STAGE 3 – Chief Executive
Review
If having considered the
response from the Director concerned you are still
dissatisfied with the resolution of your complaint, you may refer
your concern to the Chief Executive by writing to the address
below.
Response Time
We will acknowledge your
complaint within 5 working days. After each complaint stage
we will provide a full response with 10 working days of receipt
unless further investigation is required, in which case we will
advise you of the reasons for the delay and provide an alternative
timescale for a full response.
Content of Response
When we respond we will
ensure that we offer a full explanation, an apology if this
appropriate and assurances for the future. We will also let
you have the details of the action we will take or available remedy
we will offer as a result of the complaint. At each stage of
our response we will include a satisfaction feedback form, which
will ask if you are satisfied with the handling of your complaint
and our response.
Confidentiality
All complaints are
treated as confidential. This means that your identity will
only be revealed to members of staff who are dealing with your
complaint, unless you have made allegations about third parties in
your complaint or the law requires us to identify you in accordance
with the principles of natural justice. The information that
you provide will not be published or revealed to anyone outside the
Corporation in a manner that could identify you as the subject of
the information.
Publication
We will publish on our
website information about the complaints we receive, our
performance in meeting our response targets and what action
we have taken to improve our services. The publication of all
information will be in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998
and will not be published in a way that could disclose the
identity of the person making the complaint or any person directly
concerned with the complaint.
What to do if you are not satisfied
with our response
If having followed the
3-stage procedure above you feel that;
- You have been caused “injustice” as a result
of maladministration by the corporation; or
- You are not satisfied with the Corporation’s
response
- You can complain to the Parliamentary
Ombudsman. See below for the Ombudsman’s address and helpline
number
We welcome any feedback
on our services. If you wish to make a formal complaint you
should direct your concern in the first instance to;
Rhea Keehn
Governance, Policy and Communications Officer,
West Northamptonshire Development
Corporation
PO Box 355
Franklin’s Gardens
Northampton
NN5 5WU
Telephone: 01604 586 600
Email: rhea.keehn@wndc.org.uk
If you remain dissatisfied following a stage 2 response, you may
refer your concern to:
The Chief Executive
West Northamptonshire Development Corporation
PO Box 355
Franklin’s Gardens
Northampton
NN5 5WU
If you remain dissatisfied or feel that you have suffered an
injustice as a result of maladministration you may contact;
The Parliamentary Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London
SWIP 4PQ
Telephone:
0845 015
4033
Fax:
020 7217 4000
Email:phso-enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk
If your complaint was regarding a planning matter you
may contact;
LGO Advice Team
The Local Government Ombudsman
PO Box 4771
Coventry
CV4 0EH
Tel: 0300 061 0614 or 0845 602 1983
Text: 0762 480 4299
Fax: 024 7682 0001
Email: advice@lgo.org.uk