The Council's Customer Care Policy includes the following details of guidance on complaints:
The Council is keen to hear the views of customers. We are a diverse organisation and sometimes things do go wrong. It is our responsibility to listen to customers and apologise if we do get things wrong and take action to ensure such issues are not repeated. We also need to listen when people say things are going well or make suggestions about the way we deliver services and where we prioritise services. Monitoring this information will highlight any problem areas as well as showing areas of good practice.
In response to these aims the Council has developed detailed Complaints Procedures for external customers which follow a staged approach;
Stage 1 - The Department
In the first instance, complaints should be addressed to the Department
concerned. The Council regards all complaints very seriously and the Department
must ensure that the Council has acted properly. Every effort will be
made to resolve difficulties wherever possible at Department level. Anyone
who is still not satisfied with the departmental response should ask for
the intervention of the Director of the Department concerned who must
respond to the Complainant within 10 working days.
Stage 2 - The Professional Standards and Registration
Officer
If the matter still has not been resolved, he or she may ask for the
Council's Professional Standards and Registration Officer.
Stage 3 - The Professional Standards Investigator
If the Complainant remains dissatisfied, the Complainant may, within
20 working days of receipt of the Director's response or failure to respond,
ask the Professional Standards and Registration Officer to arrange for
the complaint to be investigated by the Council's Professional Standards
Investigator.
Full details of the Council’s Complaints Procedures
E-mail: propertyservices@dover.gov.uk
