Using AI to Make a Complaint

Some residents choose to use AI tools (such as ChatGPT or Copilot) to help draft their complaint. That’s fine – but the most helpful complaints are clear, focused, and written in plain English.

Whilst you can use AI to help draft your complaint, please be aware that entering personal details into third-party tools may put your private information at risk.

If you are using an AI tool, you may find the prompts below useful. They are designed to help you write a complaint that is easy for us to understand and respond to.

Recommended AI prompts for writing a complaint

You can copy and paste one of the prompts below into your AI tool and replace the bracketed text with your own details.

Simple, clear complaint (recommended)

“Help me write a clear, polite complaint to the council in plain English.
The issue is: [brief description].
It happened on: [date(s)].
It affected me by: [impact].
What I would like the council to do is: [desired outcome].
Please keep it concise and easy to understand.”

✅ Best for most complaints

✅ Produces short, readable results

✅ Helps us respond more quickly

Short bullet‑point complaint

“Summarise my complaint to the council using bullet points.
Focus only on the main issue, what went wrong, when it happened, and what outcome I want.
Avoid legal language or unnecessary background.”

✅ Useful if the situation feels complicated

✅ Helps keep the complaint focused

Turning notes into a clear complaint

“I have some rough notes about a problem with a council service.
Please turn them into a short, clear complaint written in plain English.
Do not include legal references or policy quotations.
Here are my notes: [paste notes].”

✅ Helpful if you’re not sure how to structure your complaint

✅ Reduces unnecessary detail

Checking clarity before sending

“Please review this complaint and simplify it so the main issue and outcome are clear.
Remove repetition, legal language, or anything that is not directly relevant.”

✅ Good final check before submitting

✅ Helps avoid over‑long complaints

Prompts we recommend avoiding

Some AI tools default to overly formal or legal styles. We recommend avoiding prompts such as:

“Write a formal legal complaint”

“Write a complaint quoting relevant legislation”

“Write a detailed, multi‑page complaint”

These often make complaints harder to understand and may delay our response.

A simple reminder

A short, clear complaint is often more effective than a long one. Using plain English helps us understand your concern and respond properly.

No matter how your complaint is written – by you or with the help of an AI tool – we will read it carefully and investigate it in line with our complaints process.