Corporate Complaints Procedure

We are committed to providing high-quality services. If something has gone wrong, we want to know so we can put it right and improve.

This procedure applies to most council services. Read about complaints procedures for adult social care and children's services.

On this page

What is a complaint?

A complaint is when you tell us you are unhappy with a service we have provided, an action we have taken, or something we have failed to do in line with our policies or procedures.

A service request is different. This is when you ask us to do something. For example, fix a problem, report an issue, or provide information, rather than raise a concern about something that has gone wrong.

When you contact us about a complaint, please let us know:

  • what happened
  • when it happened
  • how it has affected you
  • what you would like us to do to put things right

In some cases, we may be able to resolve the issue quickly without starting a formal complaint.

If this is not possible, we will handle your concerns through our two-stage complaints process.

What you can complain about

You can complain if you are unhappy with a service you have received, or if you have been affected by something we have or have not done.

You can also ask someone to complain on your behalf. We may need your permission before we can discuss the details with them.

You can complain about:

  • the quality of our services
  • services delivered for us by partners or contractors
  • the behaviour of our staff
  • a decision or action that affected you

We can check whether the correct process was followed

We cannot change a decision just because you disagree with it if the service policy or procedure has been followed.

What this procedure does not cover

Some complaints follow different legal processes. These include:

  • adult and children's social care complaints
  • education or planning appeals
  • tribunal cases
  • complaints about schools (except school admissions)
  • complaints about Councillors
  • council policy decisions about how services are provided
  • legal claims or planned legal action
  • issues that happened more than 12 months ago (if you knew about them at the time)
  • anonymous complaints
  • Freedom of Information or Data Protection requests

If your complaint is about another organisation, we will tell you who to contact. 

How to make a complaint  

Online 

It's quick and easy to make a complaint online.

Over the phone

If you’d prefer to speak to someone you can contact the Customer Service team. 

In writing

Complaints and Information
County Hall 
West Bridgford 
Nottingham 
NG2 7QP 

How we handle formal complaints 

We have a two-stage process. 

Stage 1 – Investigation 

  • a manager will investigate your complaint
  • we aim to acknowledge your complaint within 5 working days and respond within 15 working days
  • most complaints are resolved at this stage

Stage 2 – Review 

If you are not satisfied with the Stage 1 response:

  • you must let us know within 20 working days if you want to escalate your complaint
  • a senior manager or director will review your complaint
  • this is an independent review within the Council
  • we will respond within 20 working days of acknowledging your request

This is our final decision. 

What you can expect from us

When you make a complaint, we will: 

  • Treat you with respect
  • Take your complaint seriously
  • Aim to respond within 15 working days
  • Tell you if we need more time and explain why
  • Offer a suitable remedy if we find we were at fault

All formal complaints are managed by our Complaints and Information Team.

Complaints are handled in the order we receive them. 

If you contact senior managers or Councillors directly, they will pass your complaint to the Complaints Team so it can be handled properly. 

If we get things wrong 

If we find we were at fault, we will: 

  • apologise
  • explain what went wrong
  • fix the problem where possible
  • make changes to prevent it happening again

Financial remedies 

In most cases, we do not offer compensation. 

If it is clear at the start that you are seeking compensation, we may:

  • refer the matter to the Council's Risk and Insurance team
  • advise you to seek independent legal advice

We will only consider a financial remedy if:

  • we find that the Council was at fault, and
  • you have suffered a clear loss, injustice or hardship as a result

If this applies, we will investigate to decide whether a financial remedy is appropriate.

When making our decision, we follow guidance from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman about remedies.

Any financial payment will be fair and proportionate. It will not be the same as compensation awarded by a court.

Courts consider detailed legal issues such as liability, causation and mitigation. These are outside the scope of the Council’s complaints process.

We will clearly explain how we reached our decision.

If you are still unhappy

If you remain dissatisfied after completing both stages of our complaints process, you can contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

Contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

The Ombudsman investigates complaints about councils and adult social care providers. It will usually expect you to complete both stages of our complaints process before considering your complaint.

Behaviour towards our staff

We understand that people may feel upset or frustrated when making a complaint.

However, we will not accept:

  • abusive or threatening language
  • harassment
  • repeated contact about the same issue without new information

If this happens, we may:

  • limit how you contact us
  • ask you to contact one named officer only
  • restrict access to our buildings
  • report serious incidents to the police

Privacy

We handle complaints under:

  • The Data Protection Act 2018
  • UK GDPR
  • Data (Use and Access) Act 2025

We remove personal details when reporting complaint statistics

Read our Privacy statement in full