Complaints procedure

We want you to complain if you feel you have been poorly treated by the council. By letting us know you will help us make improvements.

This council is committed to equal opportunities and to tackling all forms of discrimination. If you believe your complaint is about discrimination on the basis of race, gender, age, or disability please tick the box on the let us know online form.

The quickest and easiest way to complain is to contact the person you have been dealing with and tell them what the problem is.

If it cannot be resolved there are three stages that a complaint to the council can go through:

Stage one: service area

Stage two: director reviews complaint

Stage three - chief executive or designate review director’s response or social work review committee

Stage one: service area

If a complaint cannot be resolved quickly at the point of service delivery a stage one complaint can be raised.

We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within two working days.

You will then receive a full response normally within 10 working (28 days in the case of a social work complaint)

If for any reason we cannot meet the timescale we will let you know why.

Stage two: director reviews complaint

If you wish your complaint reviewed by the director of the department you must advise us within 28 days from the date on your 'stage one' reply.

All stage two complaints must be made in writing.

We will acknowledge your request to move to stage two within two working days. A full response will normally be issued within 15 working days. (28 days in the case of a social work) .

If for any reason we cannot meet the timescale we will let you know why.

Stage three - chief executive or designate review director’s response or social work review committee

If you wish your complaint response reviewed at this stage you must advise the council of this in writing within 28 days from the date on your stage two reply.

We will acknowledge your request to move to stage three within two working days and a full response will normally be issued within 20 working days. Social work complaints at this stage would be passed to an independent review committee who will carry out an impartial investigation and make recommendations.

If at any stage we cannot meet these timescales we will let you know why.

What to do if you are still not satisfied

The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman considers complaints about poor service, failure to provide a service and administrative failure. The ombudsman will only consider complaints if the issues concerned have exhausted the three stages of the council’s own complaints procedure. Further information about the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman is available at www.scottishombudsman.org.uk.

Scottish Public Services Ombudsman,
4 Melville Street,
Edinburgh, EH3 7NS
Phone 0870 011 5378
Fax: 0870 011 5379
email: enquiries@scottishombudsman.org.uk

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I am unhappy with the care that my child is receiving at the nursery school s/he is attending. What should I do?
A: You should contact the Head Teacher at the nursery to discuss the issue in the first instance. If you are not happy with the outcome, you can put your complaint in writing to the Director of Education, Council Buildings, 211 Main Street, Barrhead, G78 1XD. More complaints information is available on our "Comments, complaints and compliments" webpage.
Q: How can I make a complaint about a council service?
A:
The quickest and easiest way to complain is to contact the person you have been dealing with and tell him or her what the problem is. However if you are not satisfied with the response, let us know by completing the online form on our "Comments, complaints and compliments" webpage. Alternatively, you can call into either of our two Customer Service Centres at Council Headquarters, Giffnock or Main Street Barrhead and ask a Customer Service Officer to write down your complaint for you. If you want to contact us by telephone or in writing, here are the details:

Customer Services: (0141) 577 3001
Text phone: (0141) 577 4870

Customer Services
Complaints etc.
East Renfrewshire Council
FREEPOST SCO1740
Rouken Glen Road
Giffnock
G46 6WZ
Q: How can I make a complaint about the Council?
A: You can find information on our complaints procedure at our "Comments, complaints and compliments" webpage.
Q: How can I make any suggestions, comments or complaints regarding the Housing Service?
A: You can find information on our comments and complaints procedure at our "Comments, complaints and compliments" webpage. You can use the details to make suggestions or a complaint about any of our services.
Q: When can I expect a response to my complaint about the Council?
A: You should expect to receive an acknowledgement within 2 working days after we receive your complaint. You should then receive a reply within 10 working days (or within 28 days in the case of a Social Work complaint). For further information please see our "Comments, complaints and compliments" webpage.