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Complaints Policy 

Overview 

At Fareham Borough Council we aim to always provide high quality service. However, we recognise that things don't always go to plan, and there may be times when we don't live up to your expectations. If this happens, we want you to tell us and we will do our very best to put things right as quickly as possible. We will also try to make sure that we fix the root cause of problems so that we don't make similar mistakes again. 

If you are reading this because you feel that the Council has done something wrong, or failed to do something you expected it to, this guide is to help you to tell us why you are not satisfied and to explain how we will deal with your complaint.

This guide applies to most complaints, but there are some cases which will be treated in a different way. If this is the case, we will let you know. 

Complaints procedure 

We will fully investigate every complaint. Even if your complaint relates to a particular policy decision and we are not necessarily able to change things, we will explain the situation to you. 

Stage 0 

Talking with the team involved will usually resolve any problems, so the first thing we ask you to do is to raise the matter with the team concerned. We hope they will be able to put things right straight away or explain why they can't.  

If you are unsure who the best person to speak to is, please contact our Customer Service Centre – 01329 236100 

Stage 1 

If your concern remains unresolved, you can raise a formal complaint. At this stage the Head of Service in the department responsible for the service will investigate your complaint.  Please complete an online complaint form or print off a paper version of complaint form PDF (390 KB). 

Stage 2 

If you are unhappy with our response at Stage 1, you can request that the Director of the Department responsible for the service reviews the handling of your complaint to confirm that the correct procedures and processes have been adhered to. 

We will keep you up to date whilst we are investigating your complaint, until we provide you with a resolution letter. In most cases we will be able to resolve your complaint within three weeks of receiving it. In exceptional circumstances, particularly where your complaint is complex, it may take more than three weeks to resolve matters for you, however we will let you know if this is the case. 

How and where to complain to 

Please complete an online complaint form or print off a paper version of complaint form PDF (390 KB). 

Telephone: 01329 236100 
 
Email:customerservicecentre@fareham.gov.uk 
 
By post: 

Customer Service Centre 
Fareham Borough Council 
Civic Offices 
Civic Way 
Fareham 
PO16 7AZ 

Complaints made to Elected Councillors 

If an elected member receives a complaint about another Councillor, the complaint will be passed on to the Council's Monitoring Officer. 

All other formal complaints to members will be handled in the same way as other complaints and passed to the relevant service to review. 

The Councillor who receives the formal complaint will take no further part in the matter complained about or discuss the complaint with the customer until the complaint process has been exhausted. 

Ombudsman Service 

If you are still unhappy with our response to your complaint, depending on the nature of your complaint, you can ask the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman or the Housing Ombudsman Service for an independent review. They both offer a free independent service, but before they look at your complaint, they will want to know that you have been through all stages of our complaints process. 

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

The quickest way to complain to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman is to complete an online complaint form. You can also complain by telephone.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Contact details are: 

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman 

Tel: 0300 061 0614 

Text 'call back' to: 0762 481 1595 

Online complaint form: www.lgo.org.uk/make-a-complaint External Hyperlink (opens in new window)

Housing Ombudsman

The quickest way to complain to the Housing Ombudsman is to complete an online complaint form. 

Housing Ombudsman Contact details are: 

Housing Ombudsman Service (for issues relating to Local Authority Housing only) 

Online complaint form:www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk/residents/make-a-complaint/ External Hyperlink (opens in new window)

If you wish to make a complaint by post, you can telephone the Housing Ombudsman Service on 0300 111 3000 and they can post you a complaint form.