Formal Complaints Procedure
Our formal complaint procedure should be used to complain about the council and the service they have provided in dealing with you as a customer.
You should not use this form if:
- If you want to make a comment on a Planning Application, please visit our Planning Applications search section.
- If you want to make a complaint about a councillor, please visit our Councillor complaints page.
- If you want to make a noise complaint, please use our online noise complaint form.
- If you want to make a complaint about a Penalty Charge Notice that has been issued, please visit our Penalty Charge Notice - How to Appeal section.
- If you want to make a complaint about non-compliance with the Freedom of Information Act or the Environmental Information Regulations, please visit our FOI Page.
- If you want to report a Missed Bin Collection, please visit our Missed Bin Reporting Form.
- If you want to report a recurring issue with bin collections, repeated litter or dog fouling, bin collection crew behaviour or a bin collection vehicle incident, please visit our general refuse and recycling service reporting form.
If your complaint does not relate to the options above, and if it is related to a service provided by Ashford Borough Council, then click the 'Make a formal complaint' button below to proceed.
You should use this form if:
- If we have told you that something would be done, but it hasn’t been done or is taking too long.
- If a member of our staff or someone working on our behalf has treated you unfairly.
- If we have been told that you cannot have help or use a council service.
What to expect from the council's formal complaints procedure
Step 1 complaints
Within three working days | Your complaint will be passed to a member of staff to deal with and you will receive an acknowledgement. |
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Within 15 working days |
We will have completed our investigation and will send you a written response. If we need more time to investigate we will keep you informed of our progress. |
Step 2 complaints
If you are not satisfied with our response we will pass your complaint to the relevant Head of Service to review the investigation.
Within three working days | You will receive an acknowledgement from the Head of Service that they are dealing with your complaint. |
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Within 20 working days | The Head of Service will send you a written response.
If more time is needed to investigate you will be kept informed of our progress. |
If you are still dissatisfied after you have completed steps 1 and 2
You may wish to contact the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO), details of how to make a complaint to the LGO can be found via the LGO website.
Ombudsman reports
You can download copies of the latest Ombudsman's report on complaints at Ashford Borough Council below.
- Annual review letter 2015-16 [pdf] 31KB
- Annual review letter 2014-15 [pdf] 30KB
- Annual review letter 2013-14 [pdf] 24KB
Useful contacts
Ashford - Citizens Advice Bureau
Seabrooke House
10 Norwood Street
Ashford
Kent TN23 1QT
01233 626185
Tenterden - Citizens Advice Bureau
Town Hall
High Street
Tenterden
Kent TN30 6AN
01233 626185