Compliments and comments
We value your opinion and the compliments, comments and complaints that we receive help us to improve and develop our services.
Tell us if you're happy with the service you have received or if you have a suggestion for how a service could be improved. You can do this by completing our online form, which will then be forwarded to the relevant department.
Complaints
We understand that occasionally problems may arise and you may feel dissatisfied. Most concerns can be resolved by contacting the service directly. This gives us the opportunity to put things right before you raise an official complaint.
If you're unhappy about a Council service, fill out our online form, which will be forwarded to your chosen department.
Formal complaints
You can request the issue to be dealt with as a formal complaint using the online form.
To make it easier for us to resolve your complaint, you should provide us with as much information as possible, including the date you initially reported your complaint to the service and, if applicable, the online reference number provided when you submitted your complaint online.
Other ways to get in touch
- By email - complaints@brentwood.gov.uk
- By post - write to us at Brentwood Borough Council Complaints Team, Town Hall, Ingrave Road, Brentwood, CM15 8AY
- By phone – if you can't use our online services, you can call us on 01277 312500 and a Customer Service Advisor will complete the form on your behalf
Time limits
We will not normally consider a complaint that is made more than one year after the individual first became aware of the issue they want to complain about. There are exceptions to this where the Council accepts that such a delay was reasonable.
Formal complaint process
We would not usually consider a complaint through its complaints procedure where there remains an outstanding route of appeal or other judicial process.
Stage 1: Resolution
You will receive an acknowledgement advising that your complaint has been logged as a Stage 1 formal complaint within five working days. This will provide you with details of who will be investigating your complaint.
The service investigator who wasn't involved in the original complaint will complete a meaningful and informed review and a response will be sent to you within ten working days.
Stage 2: Review
If your complaint is not resolved your satisfaction, you can request to move to Stage 2. You must explain why you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the Stage 1 investigation and what you think we can do to put matters right.
Your complaint will be reviewed by a Senior Manager who was not involved in the original complaint. The Senior Manager will not reinvestigate the complaint but will focus on understanding the continuing concerns and whether the Stage 1 Resolution process was done fairly and that the conclusions reached were reasonable. We aim to notify you of the outcome of the review within 15 working days.
If it isn't possible to complete Stage 1 or 2 within the specified timescales, you will be contacted and informed when to expect a response.
For more information about complaints, view the Complaints policy (PDF).
If you're still dissatisfied once your complaint has been through our complaints process
If we're unable to resolve your problem and you are still dissatisfied with your response, the matter can be brought before the Local Government Ombudsman, or the Housing Ombudsman, for independent investigation.
Useful information
Managing persistent or unreasonable complaints
The majority of individuals who contact us communicate in a polite and reasonable manner. The Persistent or Unreasonable Behaviour Policy (PDF) outlines how we manage the few individuals whose actions we consider unreasonable.
We may not progress complaints or comments from customers managed under this policy.