Make a complaint

If you have a problem, you should contact us before making a complaint. This gives us a chance to fix it. 

Most issues can be solved such as telling us about:

• a missed bin collection
• antisocial behaviour
• litter on the streets
• dumped waste (fly-tipping)
• a drain or sewer problem
• a burst water pipe or leak
• a dangerous tree

There are different ways to complain about a councillor or about council housing services.

Appeal a decision instead of making a complaint

You can appeal a decision we made instead of making a complaint. 

You can do this online, such as appealing a:

• Council Tax bill
• planning application
• penalty charge notice (PCN)
• housing register decision

What we can investigate

We can investigate a complaint if:

• we made a mistake
• you are unhappy with the service you got from us 
• there were unreasonable delays 
• you feel you have been treated poorly 
• you feel that you have not been kept informed 
• we did not give you the information you needed

What we cannot investigate

We will not investigate complaints about: 

• council policies, such as how Council Tax is set
• something that happened more than 12 months ago
• issues you have already raised by making a formal complaint
• who is at fault or who should pay compensation for a personal injury (liability of personal injury claims)
• freedom of information requests (requesting information about us) 
• subject access requests (requesting information about yourself)

We will also not investigate complaints that are, or have been, subject to legal proceedings.