Caddington Parish Council

including Chaul End and Aley Green

Complaints Procedure

1. Caddington Parish Council is committed to providing a quality service for the benefit of the people
who live or work in its area or are visitors to the locality. If you are dissatisfied with the standard of
service you have received from this council, or are unhappy about an action or lack of action by this
council, this Complaints Procedure sets out how you may complain to the council and how we shall
try to resolve your complaint.
2. This Complaints Procedure applies to complaints about council administration and procedures and
may include complaints about how council employees have dealt with your concerns.
3. This Complaints Procedure does not apply to:
3.1. complaints by one council employee against another council employee, or between a council
employee and the council as employer. These matters are dealt with under the council’s
disciplinary and grievance procedures.
3.2. complaints against councillors. Complaints against councillors are covered by the Code of Conduct adopted by the Council and, if a complaint against a councillor is
received by the council, it will be referred to the Standards Committee of Central Bedfordshire
Council. Further information on the process of dealing with complaints against councillors may
be obtained from the Monitoring Officer of Central Bedfordshire Council Make a complaint about a councillor
4. The appropriate time for influencing Council decision-making is by raising your concerns before the
Council debates and votes on a matter. You may do this by writing to the Council in advance of
the meeting at which the item is to be discussed. There may also be the opportunity to raise your
concerns in the public participation section of Council meetings. If you are unhappy with a Council
decision, you may raise your concerns with the Council, but Standing Orders prevent the Council
from re-opening issues for six months from the date of the decision, unless there are exceptional
grounds to consider this necessary and the special process set out in the Standing Orders is
followed.
5. You may make your complaint about the council’s procedures or administration to the Clerk. You
may do this in person, by phone, or by writing to or emailing the Clerk
6. Wherever possible, the Clerk will try to resolve your complaint immediately. If this is not possible,
the Clerk will normally try to acknowledge your complaint within five working days.
7. If you do not wish to report your complaint to the Clerk, you may make your complaint directly to
the Chairman of the Council who will report your complaint to the Council.
8. The Clerk or the Council (as appropriate) will investigate each complaint, obtaining further
information as necessary from you and/or from staff or members of the Council.
9. The Clerk or the Chairman of the Council will notify you within 20 working days of the outcome of
your complaint and of what action (if any) the Council proposes to take as a result of your complaint.
(In exceptional cases the twenty working days timescale may have to be extended. If it is, you will
be kept informed.)
10. If you are dissatisfied with the response to your complaint, you may ask for your complaint to be
referred to the full Council and (usually within eight weeks) you will be notified in writing of the
outcome of the review of your original complaint.

Reviewed May 2023. Next review May 2024