Formal Complaints Procedure
Stage One
In the first instance you should contact the relevant Head of
Service. Planning and Development differs slightly from
the other services in the first instance complaints should be
addressed to Martin Vink or Lois Jarrett (Joint Development Control
Managers) Land Charges and Building Control complaints should be
directed to Tim Parrett as Head of Building Control.
Stage Two
If you are not happy with the Stage 1 response, you
have one month within which to contact the relevant director
according to which service the complaint is about, or if the
complaint relates to planning you should contact the Head of
Planning and Development.
Stage Three
If you are still not satisfied with the outcome once the
complaint has been through this complaints procedure, then you have
the right to complain to the nationally appointed Local Government
Ombudsman.
The Local Government Ombudsman is an independent person who
investigates allegations of maladministration causing injustice to
the person who has complained. The Ombudsman investigates
complaints about most Council matters including housing, planning,
and council tax. Our Ombudsman is:
The Local Government Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
LONDON
SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0207 217 4620
Fax: 0207 217 4621
The Local Government Ombudsman has a leaflet called Complaint
about the Council? How to complain to the Local Government
Ombudsman. You can get a copy from the Civic Centre, by telephoning
or writing to the address above, or you can download it from the
Ombudsman's website. If you have an
enquiry about the Local Government Ombudsman's service you can
telephone their Adviceline on 0845 602 1983.
Please see below for the latest Ombudsman's report on complaints
at Ashford Borough Council:
Council's Monitoring Officer
If you wish to complain because you believe that the Council, a
Councillor or a Council Officer have breached either legal rules or
a code of conduct you should contact the Council's Monitoring
Officer. Your call will be treated in the strictest of
confidence.
What You Can Expect From Us
You can expect a full and fair investigation of your complaint.
We will be pleased to explain any council procedure or rules that
are not clear to you. Although there is a possibility that you will
not like the outcome of your complaint, you should be satisfied
that we have dealt with it fairly. You can be assured that we will
respect your confidentiality. For example, if you tell us about
someone you think has broken planning rules, your name will not be
given to the person involved.
You must realise, though, that we do not welcome malicious
complaints, and our code of confidentiality may not apply in these
cases. In most cases, if you are proved to have a justifiable
complaint you can expect us to put it right. There will be
occasions when a complaint which is justified has involved you in
extra expense or financial loss. In such cases, you may be offered
an 'ex gratia' payment. This will be at the council's discretion
and will not imply any legal liability.
Additional Information or Help
We hope this webpage has provided you with all the information
you require. However if you have any further questions please do
not hesitate to contact us directly. Through our complaints system
we aim to cater for a variety of different needs, and ensure
everyone in our community is treated fairly and equally.
If you would like information on our complaints procedure in a
different format, then please ask us and we will be happy to
provide it for you. We are able to provide the information in large
print, and if you tell us in advance we can usually produce it in
whatever size you would like, or in other languages if given
sufficient notice. Our complaints procedure is also available on
audio tape, and we have a minicom service telephone 01233 637311
for details.
Useful Contacts
Ashford Borough Council
Civic Centre
Tannery Lane
Ashford
Kent
TN23 1PL
Tel: 01233 637311
Fax: 01233 645654
Local Government Ombudsman
Millbank Tower
Millbank
LONDON
SW1P 4QP
Tel: 0207 217 4620
Fax: 0207 217 4621
Citizens' Advice Bureaux
Tel: 01233 626185 (Ashford) / 01580 762371 (Tenterden)
This webpage was updated on 7/18/2008