Compliments and Complaints

Our aim is to deliver right services first time, every time, but we know there are occasions when we get things wrong. When that happens it is important you tell us so we can take action.

The feedback we receive from you will help us review our services and make any necessary changes.

It’s also useful to hear what we are doing well as it helps us plan for the future.

Sending compliments or other suggestions

It is always great to receive positive feedback. Compliments can be made about an overall service, department or individual member of staff by using our online compliments form. Alternatively you can visit our reception at the Council House in Avenue Road, Malvern or write to: Compliments and Complaints, The Council House, Avenue Road, Malvern, WR14 3AF

Making a complaint

Please let us know if:

• There are delays receiving a service or responding to a service request.
• The service you received was not as you expected.
• You were treated in an unprofessional way.

Will you deal with all complaints?

Some things cannot be dealt with through the complaints process. These include:

• A request for a service i.e missed bins (unless there has been a repeated service failure). If you have a specific issue relating to a particular service then please use the Report it page.
• The conduct of a Councillor. These will be forwarded to our Monitoring Officer.
• Where a crime may have happened. These should be directed to the Police.
• When the issue is the responsibility of another organisation.
• Disagreements over policy decisions or those of the Government.
• Where there is a separate appeals process such as is the case with planning or parking fines.
• Complaints which are more than 12 months old.

How do I complain?

Visit our reception at the Council House in Avenue Road, Malvern to complain in person or write to: Compliments and Complaints, The Council House, Avenue Road, Malvern, WR14 3AF.

We will need the following information:-

• Your name, address and contact details
• What you are complaining about
• When it happened or when it should have happened
• Why and how you think we should have done things differently
• What you think we should do to put things right

All complaints will be treated as confidential and personal information will not be revealed to anyone outside of Malvern Hills District Council without your permission. We do not accept anonymous complaints but you can ask someone else to make the complaint for you such as your local district councillor or MP.

Make a complaint by using our online complaints form.

What happens when I complain?

Most complaints can be dealt with informally and staff will try to deal with it at the time. Where that is not possible your complaint will be acknowledged within two working days. 

A full investigation will then take place by the service involved and we will respond within 12 working days.
We will then provide an explanation and, if required, an apology and details of what we can do to put it right. 

If you are not happy with the response you can ask for it to be investigated by a senior manager from another department who will send you their findings within 15 working days. In some cases investigations can take longer, but you will be informed if that is the case.

What if I’m still not satisfied?

If you are still not happy you have the right to take your complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to investigate. However, please note the Ombudsmen is unlikely to consider your complaint unless you have given us a chance to fully investigate it first.

You can complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsmen in writing at:

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
PO Box 4771
Coventry
CV4 0EH

or call 0300 061 0614 (Monday to Friday 8.30am to 5pm).  You can also visit the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman website for more information.

Unreasonable complaints

Unreasonable, vexatious or persistent complaints will be dealt with in line with our Unreasonable Complaints Procedure, available on request.