Compliments and complaints

We always try to provide the best service we can. Whether you want to tell us about something we have done well or make a formal complaint, this page will tell you how to get in touch with us. 

You can use this form to: 

  • give a compliment about our services
  • make a formal or corporate complaint about a service you have received from us

Do not use this form to:

  • report issues like missed bin collections
  • complain about noise, smoke or smells

You can report issues like these to us on a different page.

Give a compliment or make a complaint

 

If you are having issues completing the complaint form or submitting your complaint by post, you can call us on 01903 737500 for help.

If your enquiry is not a formal complaint, compliment or feedback

If you just want to report a missed council service or ask a question about one of our services you can usually find the answer on our website or contact them through their web pages.

If you cannot resolve your problem by speaking to the service and you wish to make a formal complaint please use the form above.

Giving compliments

Our services are always grateful for positive feedback when they have done a good job. This will be brought to the attention of the relevant manager and the officer involved.

Complaints procedure

If you have spoken to the service your problem relates to and are unhappy with their response then we can investigate further for you.

There are two stages to our complaints procedure. It's important to give us as much information as possible when you complete the above form. This could include dates, reference numbers and copies of letters.

Stage 1

We will write to you within five working days with the name of the officer who will be dealing with your complaint. The officer will be a senior member of staff from the service area the complaint is about.

The officer will write to you and send either a full answer or a progress report within 10 working days.

Stage 2

If you are not happy after our investigation at Stage 1 you can ask for a senior officer of the service area to look at your complaint. You will have 28 days from the date of the stage 1 response to request a review.

The senior officer will conduct a further investigation of all documents and correspondence, and will arrange to visit if the complaint is about something that needs to be seen. We will send a full response or a progress report, if we need more time, within 20 working days.

Next steps

In our Stage 2 response we will tell you what you can do if you are still not happy. The response will let you know whether you will need to go to the Local Government Ombudsman or the Housing Ombudsman Service.

Local Government Ombudsman (non-housing complaints)

If you are still not happy we will give you information about the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is an independent public body who can investigate how we have handled your complaint.

You can find out more about Ombudsman services on the Local Government Ombudsman website.

The Ombudsman will not be able to begin an investigation until we have had the opportunity to try and resolve the complaint. It is important, therefore, that you contact us first.

Housing Ombudsman (housing complaints)

The Housing Ombudsman Service can be contacted throughout your complaint to housing, and within our final response at stage 2 we will give you information about how to refer your complaint to their service.

You can learn more about their service on Housing Ombudsman website.

The Housing Ombudsman's complaint handling code

The Housing Ombudsman's new Complaint Handling Code came into force on 1 April 2024, and replaces previous versions of the code. It sets out good practice for landlords to respond to complaints effectively and fairly.

To find out more about the complaint handling code, please visit the Housing Ombudsman's website.

We are required to carry out a self-assessment against the code to ensure our complaint handling remains in line with their requirement. Our self-assessment form can be found here: Housing Ombudsman self-assessment [pdf] 269KB.

Housing complaints annual performance report 

We are required under the Complaint Handling Code to produce an annual performance report setting out our complaints performance, the improvements we have made as a result of complaints and any determinations made by the Housing Ombudsman. 

This report was presented to the Housing and Wellbeing Committee on 17 June 2025, Members approved a response prepared by the Member Responsible for Complaints Cllr Carol Birch:

I welcome the opportunity the Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code self-assessment form for 2024-2025 provides for scrutinising Arun's complaints process. It helps us to identify pinch points in our provision of services and puts a focus on areas that need improvement.

This, with the quarterly reports on complaints that come to the Housing and Wellbeing Committee and regular meetings through the year between myself and the business improvement manager, has ensured scrutiny of complaints. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Sasha Hawkins for her work this year.

There are areas that need improvement that have been highlighted in the report. A clear desire to learn from complaints can be seen from the Service Improvement Plan developed by the business improvement manager and has also been demonstrated during answers to questions in meetings. The Housing and Wellbeing Committee will continue to look for evidence of improvements during the next year and ask officers for action when appropriate.

The report itself can be seen here: Housing complaints annual performance report [pdf] 245KB 

The Housing Ombudsman's Landlord report can be found on their website.