Overview
We welcome feedback about the services we provide and commission. We can use this to inform, review and where necessary improve our services. The easiest way to give us your feedback is by using the online forms below.
The Council has a number of online self-service portals that need to be used when reporting certain issues. Should you contact us about an issue that is appropriate for the online self-service portal, we will re-direct you to that service.
Contact details
Make a complaint by email: complaintsandcustomerfeedback@staffordshire.gov.uk
Make a complaint by phone: 03001 118004
Freedom of information complaints
You can also send an email and attach additional information to support your complaint such as photographs or documents, to the following email address:
complaintsandcustomerfeedback@staffordshire.gov.uk
If you are unable to use our online complaint form or email facility, you can contact us by telephone. This is normally available Monday to Friday, between 10am and 2pm. An answer machine facility is available out of hours or on occasions where it is necessary to close the telephone line during office hours.
Phone regarding Adults and Children’s Social Care complaints: 0300 111 8004
Phone regarding all other matters: 0300 111 8000
Mini-com users can call here: 01785 276207
You can also write to us at:
Complaints Team
Staffordshire Place
Stafford ST16 2LP
Tips on how to make a complaint
Don't delay
- Make your complaint as soon as possible after the event as the Council may not investigate matters that are over 12 months old.
- It is better to make your complaints as soon as you can so that you can remember all the details.
Make checks
- Make sure that your complaint is about a service that the Council provides or commissions. For example, bin collections and council tax complaints are dealt with by local borough or district councils, not the county council
- Ensure that you have read the information on the complaints webpages so that you are aware of the types of issues that are excluded from the complaints procedures.
Be clear and brief
- Cover all the relevant points, but be as brief as you can. Avoid writing long letters or emails - you may feel you need to write in great details but in most cases this is not necessary.
- Make your complaint easy to read - lengthy correspondence with unnecessary historical information will mean that it will take the Council longer to assess your complaint.
- The Council will contact you if it requires any further information.
Be clear about what you want
- Explain clearly what you hope to achieve by making a complaint.
How to make a complaint
We endeavour to meet our statutory duties in how we handle information, publish information, and provide information in response to access to information requests. If you consider we have not met these requirements the same laws and regulations give you the right to make a complaint.
If you are unhappy about how we have dealt with your request for recorded information you should first send your comment or complaint to us in writing.
Send your comments or complaint to:
Email: accessinformation@staffordshire.gov.uk
By post:
Access to Information Team
1 Staffordshire Place
Stafford
ST16 2LP
What we will do
When we receive your complaint we will review how we have dealt with your request. The Information Commissioner’s Office recommends that public authorities carry out internal reviews within 20 working days. Under Environmental Regulations Information there is a legal requirement that internal reviews must be carried out as soon as possible within 40 working days. The authority cannot charge for carrying out an internal review.
Further information
If after we have conducted an internal review you believe that we have not dealt with your request or your complaint properly the Information Commissioner’s Office may be able to help.
Advice about making complaints about how your request has been dealt with is available from the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Other types of complaint
If your complaint is not about how we have responded to your request for non-personal council information, please refer to separate information about making comments and complaints about:
How requests for personal information or how the council has handled personal information
Highways: Please report any of the following issues via Report It
- A request for a service or to ask us to do something
- An update on an existing report that you have made but has not been dealt with
- Updates to an existing report where the condition or situation has deteriorated
- Defects that have been identified as none-urgent but not yet repaired
- Requests to open a closed report
- Concerns about the quality of highways works that have been carried out as these will need to be referred for a quality assurance inspection
Parking: Concerns about problem parking will need to be reported to the parking and enforcement pages
Claims for damages or personal injury: These will need to be reported to the claims pages
Public Rights of Way: Please report issues in respect of via public rights of way please refer to the public rights of way pages
