|
This is the procedure for complaints about a KCC service,
other than
schools or
Adult Care
Services or Children's Social Services, which have separate
complaints procedures.
Step one
Please start by raising the issue with the person you have been
dealing with at the county council, or their immediate manager.
Most problems can be resolved this way.
Step two
If you feel you need to pursue your complaint further, then
please contact the managing director of the service you have been
dealing with. You can do this by letter (if you're not sure who
this is, visit our
who to contact page). Alternatively, you can
e-mail
your complaint, telephone/typetalk our Contact Centre on 08458
247 247 (Minicom 08458 247 905), or
complain online.
Step three
If you put your complaint in a letter or email, or send it
online, you can expect to receive an acknowledgement within one
week and a full reply normally within four weeks. If your complaint
raises complex issues that cannot be answered within four weeks, we
will keep you informed of progress at four-weekly intervals until
we are able to respond fully to your complaint.
If you phone or visit one of our offices with your complaint,
our staff will try to help you by answering your query or taking
down details so that it can be investigated.
They will telephone or write to you to tell you the outcome of
the investigation as soon as they can.
Step four
If you are not satisfied with the managing director's response,
or if your complaint is about KCC's response to a request for
information under the Freedom of Information Act
or related legislation, you should send full details of your
complaint to the chief executive and ask him to look into it
(Sessions House, County Hall, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1XQ).
A member of the chief executive's staff will try to resolve the
matter to your satisfaction. You can again expect to receive an
acknowledgement within one week of the chief executive receiving
details of your complaint and a full reply normally within four
weeks.
Step five
Your local county
councillor may be able to help resolve your complaint by
pursuing it on your behalf with the managing director concerned or
with the chief executive.
Step six
If you are still not satisfied after all these steps have been
taken, you have the right to take your complaint to the Local
Government Ombudsman (except for a complaint about Freedom of
Information). The Local Government Ombudsman is an independent and
impartial person, appointed by central government to
investigate complaints of maladministration by local authorities. A
leaflet explaining how to complain to the Local Government
Ombudsman is available from their
website (link opens in a new window) or by
contacting their advice line (telephone and typetalk) on 0845 602
1983, or by e-mailing
them.
Step seven
If your complaint is about KCC's response to a request for
information under the Freedom of Information Act or related
legislation, you may take it to the Information Commissioner.
Advice on the Information
Commissioner's role is available by telephone/typetalk 01625
545745, e-mailing the
Information Commissioner or visiting the
Information
Commission website (link opens in a new
window). |