Leicestershire Parish Councils

CODE OF PRACTICE FOR HANDLING COMPLAINTS

1. If a complaint about procedures or administration is notified orally to a councillor or the clerk and it is not possible to satisfy the complainant fully forthwith, the complainant shall be asked to put his complaint in writing to the clerk and be assured that it will be dealt with promptly after receipt.
2. If a complainant indicates that he would prefer not to put the complaint to the clerk he shall be advised to put it to the chairman.
3. On receipt of a written complaint, the clerk or chairman, as the case may be, shall (except where the complaint is about his/her own actions) try to settle the complaint directly with the complainant. Where the clerk receives a written complaint about his/her own actions, he/she shall forthwith refer the complaint to the council.
4. Complaints about a councillor are subject to the jurisdiction of the Standards Board and complainants are advised to contact the Monitoring Officer at the District Council.
5. The clerk or chairman shall report to the next meeting of the council any written complaint disposed of by direct action with the complainant.
6. The clerk or chairman shall bring any written complaint which cannot be settled to the next meeting of the council, and the clerk shall notify the complainant of the date on which the complaint will be considered. The complainant shall be invited to attend the relevant meeting and bring with them such representative as they wish.
7. The council shall consider whether the circumstances attending any complaint warrant the matter being discussed in the absence of the press and public, but any decision on a complaint shall be announced at the council meeting in public.
8. Seven clear working days prior to the meeting, the complainant shall provide the council with copies of any documentation or other evidence, which they wish to refer to at the meeting. The Council shall similarly provide the complainant with copies of any documentation.
9. As soon as may be after the decision has been made, the nature of any action to be taken shall be communicated in writing to the complainant.
10. Complaints regarding access to information under the Freedom of Information Act and the Environmental Information Regulations will be dealt with under the Parish Councils normal complaints procedure. If the complainant is still unhappy with the way the request for information was dealt with or the decision to withhold the information; the complainant should contact the Information Commissioner.