We define a complaint as:

“An expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the organisation, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting an individual or group of individuals.”

You can complain about things like:

• delays in responding to your enquiries and requests

• failure to provide a service

• our standard of service

• treatment by or attitude of a member of staff

• our failure to follow proper procedure.

Your complaint may involve more than one council service or be about someone working on our behalf.

Complaints will be accepted unless there is a valid reason for us not to do so. Below are examples of some of the excluded complaints, which will not be investigated:

• Day to day service requests or initial reporting of faults.

• Criticisms or disagreement with council policies.

• Complaints concerning the level of rent or service charge or the amount of the rent or service charge increase.

• Complaints against individual employees which arise from dissatisfaction with a council policy or decision, and where no other basis for the complaint exists.

• Appeals against any council advice, actions, or decisions in its capacity as a regulator where a statutory right of appeal or other council appeals/review procedure exists.

For a full list please see our Complaints Policy (PDF, 5.8MB)

Complaints can be made online, via email, by telephone, in person or in writing. If you prefer to talk to someone in person, a meeting can be arranged and a friend, relative or other representative can come with you if you wish.

Please click here of you wish to make a complaint.

When making your complaint please ensure you provide:

• Your full name and contact details

• If you’re complaining on behalf of someone, their full name and address along with a signed Consent for Third Party Complaints Form (PDF, 22KB)

• A list of relevant points, highlighting any important issues

• Details of how you have been affected

• The names of any staff who have dealt with the situation

• An explanation of what you want to achieve

• Copies of any documents supporting your complaint

You can make a complaint anonymously and we will consider your complaint, any investigation will be proportionate to the potential outcome. 

All information about you or anyone involved in the complaint will be dealt with in accordance with the Data Protection Act.

All complaints can be submitted to our Customer Services team who will then direct your complaint to a manager in the appropriate service.

You can complain several ways:

• Use our online Complaints Form
• Call Customer Services on 01524 582000
• Visit or write to us at either Lancaster or Morecambe Town Hall
• Contact your local councillor who will be happy to take up any complaint with the relevant service

Councillor names, addresses and telephone numbers can be found on our Councillors page or you can ask any of our Customer Services staff for your councillor’s contact details.

Your local Citizen’s Advice Bureau (CAB) can also give you help and advice about making a complaint. The CAB is an independent organisation.

You can complain if you feel you have been, or are due to be, personally affected.

However, if you make a complaint for someone else, like a friend or relative, we will need to ask their permission before we can give you certain information. In this case, please use our Consent For Third Party Complaints Form (PDF, 22KB).

This should be signed by the person on behalf of whom you are making the complaint.

We will try to resolve any issues you have when you first contact us. If you feel your issue has not been resolved, then you may have the right to make a complaint.

We will contact you within five working days of receipt to let you know we have received your complaint, and your complaint will be investigated by a designated senior officer within the service which is the subject of the complaint.

We will aim to give you a full reply to your complaint within 10 working days. If this is going to take longer, we will inform you, and we will keep you up to date on our progress.

This is known as a Stage One Complaint.

If, following the response that you have received, you remain dissatisfied then you may request for your complaint to be escalated to Stage Two of the Council’s complaint’s policy.

Your complaint will be reviewed by an officer independent of the service area concerned, to establish:

• Whether the investigation was adequately thorough and impartial.

• If any fault was found, whether things have been put right for the complainant.

Please note that Stage Two is not a full re-investigation of the complaint, but it will address any relevant issues if they still need to be addressed in the original complaint response.

Stage Two is also the final stage of the council’s complaints policy. If, following Stage Two, you feel your issue has not been resolved, you have the right to refer your complaint to the relevant Ombudsman.

You can contact the ombudsman at any stage, but they will first want to ensure that you have gone through the full complaints process.

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman can be contacted via the website www.lgo.org.uk or by the contact details below:

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

PO Box 4771

Coventry

CV4 0EH

Tel: 0300 061 0614

Housing Ombudsman Service

If you are a Council tenant, leaseholder, or a housing applicant, with a complaint about the council’s housing service, and the issue has still not been resolved following Stage Two you can contact the Housing Ombudsman by visiting the website www.housing-ombudsman.org.uk or by the contact details below:

Housing Ombudsman Service

PO Box 1484

Unit D

Preston

PR2 0ET

Tel: 0300 111 3000

E-mail: info@housing-ombudsman.org.uk

If you are a tenant, leaseholder, or a housing applicant, with a complaint about the council’s housing service, please follow the council’s complaints process.

Coming soon….

We will produce an annual complaints performance report and conduct an annual self-assessment against the code to ensure our complaint handling policy remains in line with the codes requirements.

To complain about the conduct of a member of the Lancaster City Council or a member of one of the parish or town councils within the council’s area.
Please click this link.