Comments, compliments and complaints - Print version

Speak up, we're listening

Coventry City Council is committed to putting local people and their needs at the heart of what it does. We want to ensure that people have a positive and trouble-free experience with us in all transactions and interactions. However, sometimes things go wrong. When things go wrong, we encourage people to speak up, so that we can make things right.

We want you to tell us if you:

• have a comment about our services; 
• want to complain if we didn't get it right for you; or 
• want to compliment us if we have done something well.

How to make your comment, compliment or complaint [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/5/contact_the_council/545/comments_compliments_and_complaints/2]

Making your comment, compliment or complaint

I want to...

• make a comment, compliment or complaint about our services [/form_speakup] using our online form.
• make a complaint about a school or childminder [https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-school].
• make a complaint about our planning procedure [/info/110/planning_applications/1340/making_a_formal_planning_complaint].
• make a complaint about adult social care [/info/2000678/complaints-social_care/562/social_care-comments_compliments_and_complaints].
• make a complaint about children's services [/info/2000678/complaints-social_care/625/young_peoples_guide_to_making_a_social_care_complaint].
• make a complaint about our recruitment and selection procedure [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/3848/recruitment-and-selection-complaints].
• make a complaint about an elected member [/councillorcomplaint]. Read our Members' Code of Conduct [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/downloads/download/723/ethics_committee_and_complaints].

Tell us about...

You can also contact us about:

• a missed bin collection [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/rubbish-recycling/missed-bin-collections].
• a pothole [/potholes].
• fly-tipping (dumped rubbish) [/flytipping].
• noise nuisance [/noise].
• a problem with benefits [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/benefits], Council Tax [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/counciltax] or business rates [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/businessrates].

Or visit our tell us [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/tellus] page for other issues.

Who else can I complain to?

If your problem has not been put right, you can take your complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

You will need to provide a copy of your final complaint response, so your complaint can be considered.

Ombudsman contact details

Website: www.lgo.org.uk [https://www.lgo.org.uk/]
Telephone: 0300 061 0614
Opening hours: Monday to Friday - 10am to 4pm (except public holidays)

Complaints policy, annual reports, and privacy notice

Our service standards

• We want to be friendly and professional in all of our communications
• We want you to understand what we say
• We want to give you all the information you need, so you don’t have to contact us again
• We want you to understand what you need to do, if anything
• We want you to know what is going on with their request or enquiry
• We want you to have a consistent and personable experience when you contact us.

Our complaints policy

Complaints policy [/downloads/download/902/complaints_policy]

How we handle your complaints

Complaints handling guidance [/downloads/download/4587/complaints_handling_guidance]

Complaints reports

We publish regular reports on how we meet our performance standards, giving figures of complaints received and decisions made, together with general feedback on performance.

• Adult social care complaints and representations annual reports [/downloads/download/781/adult_social_care_complaints_and_representations_annual_reports]
• Children's services complaints and representations annual reports [/downloads/download/3985/childrens_services_complaints_and_representations_annual_reports]
• Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Complaint Reports and Annual Review Letters [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/contact-council/local-government-social-care-ombudsman-complaint-reports-annual-review-letters]

Privacy notice

We will use the information you provide to handle your complaint in line with the Council’s complaints policy. We may share this information with other organisations which may include independent external investigators, children’s advocacy services and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.

We will only share your information if this is part of solving your complaint. More information on how we handle personal information and your rights under the data protection legislation can be found in the Full privacy notice [/privacynotice]

What if I need help?

If you want help or support with your complaint you may want to ask someone to act for you, such as a friend or relative, or Citizens Advice [https://www.coventrycitizensadvice.org.uk/]. You can also contact your local councillor [/councillors] or your Member of Parliament to take up a complaint for you. Where necessary we can arrange:

• for translation and interpretation services (including sign language interpretation) to be made available - if this is required, please allow a reasonable time for us to arrange for these services to be made available;
• to accept and reply to correspondence in large print, audiotape, computer disc and Braille; or 
• for the services of an advocate to be made available for adult social care [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/78/care_and_support/2127/information_advice_and_advocacy_support/5] or for a children's rights officer [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/info/37/childrens_social_care/625/young_peoples_guide_to_making_a_social_care_complaint/3].