BEECH PARISH COUNCIL

HANDLING COMPLAINTS

Should a member of the public have any complaint* about a procedure or administration of the Parish Council, then this should be notified to the Parish Clerk or a Councillor and will be dealt with as follows:

• If it is not possible to satisfy the complainant fully, the complaint shall be asked to put the complaint in writing to the Parish Clerk

• On receipt of a written complaint the Parish Clerk shall (except where the complaint is about the actions of the Parish Clerk) try to settle the complaint directly with the complainant. If this is not possible, the Parish Clerk will refer the complaint to the Council’s Complaints Committee. Please see Procedure below.

• Where the Parish Clerk receives a written complaint about their actions, the complaint shall be referred directly to the Council’s Complaints Committee.

Complaints not covered by this procedure include:

Type of conduct	Refer to
Financial irregularity	Local elector’s statutory right to object Council’s audit of accounts pursuant to s.16 Audit Commission Act 1998. On other matters, councils may need to consult their auditor / Audit Commission
Criminal activity	The Police
Member conduct	In England if the complaint relates to a failure to comply with the Code of Conduct, this must be submitted to the Standards Board (after s.185 of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 comes into effect, complaints about members’ conduct must be made to the standards committee of the relevant principal authority). In Wales , any complaint about member conduct should be made to the Public Services Ombudsman.
Employee conduct	Internal disciplinary procedure

*‘A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction by one or more members of the public about the council’s action

or lack of action or about the standard of a service, whether the action was taken or the service provided

by the council itself or a person or body acting on behalf of the council.’

BEECH PARISH COUNCIL

COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE

Before the Meeting

1. The complainant should be asked to put the complaint about the council’s procedures or administration in writing to the clerk or other nominated officer.

2. If the complainant does not wish to put the complaint to the clerk or other nominated officer, he or she should be advised to address it to the chairman of the council.

3. The clerk or other nominated officer shall acknowledge receipt of the complaint and advise the complainant when the matter will be considered by the council or by the committee established for the purposes of hearing complaints. The complainant should also be advised whether the complaint will be treated as confidential or whether, for example, notice of it will be given in the usual way (if, for example, the complaint is to be heard by a committee).

4. The complainant shall be invited to attend a meeting and to bring with them a representative if they wish.

5. Seven clear working days prior to the meeting, the complainant shall provide the council with copies of any documentation or other evidence relied on. The council shall provide the complainant with copies of any documentation upon which they wish to rely at the meeting and shall do so promptly, allowing the claimant the opportunity to read the material in good time for the meeting.

At the Meeting

6. The council shall consider whether the circumstances of the meeting warrant the exclusion of the public and the press. Any decision on a complaint shall be announced at the council meeting in public.

7. The chairman should introduce everyone and explain the procedure.

8. The complainant (or representative) should outline the grounds for complaint and, thereafter, questions may be asked by (i) the clerk or other nominated officer and then (ii), members.

9. The clerk or other nominated officer will have an opportunity to explain the council’s position and questions may be asked by (i) the complainant and (ii), members.

10. The clerk or other nominated officer and then the complainant should be offered the opportunity to summarise their position.

11. The clerk or other nominated officer and the complainant should be asked to leave the room while members decide whether or not the grounds for the complaint have been made. If a point of clarification is necessary, both parties shall be invited back.

12. The clerk or other nominated officer and the complainant should be given the opportunity to wait for the decision but if the decision is unlikely to be finalised on that day they should be advised when the decision is likely to be made and when it is likely to be communicated to them.

After the Meeting

16. The decision should be confirmed in writing within seven working days together with details of any action to be taken.