Typically a complaint could be about:

• Delay in taking action without good reason
• Failure to provide a service
• Mistakes in the way a decision was taken
• Not following the law or the council’s own rules
• Broken promises
• Giving incorrect or misleading information
• Bias or discrimination
• Rude, unhelpful or inappropriate behaviour by staff
• Poor communication

The council will try to resolve the complaint at that first point of contact. If it is not possible to resolve the complaint quickly or if it is clear that the matter needs to be formally investigated the complaint will be referred to the relevant department for a Local Resolution investigation (LR)

Ways to complain

Email: complaints@southwark.gov.uk

Phone: Customer Services on 020 7525 3977

In person: Visit one of the Southwark Council customer service centres:

My Southwark Service Point, 376 Walworth Road, London SE17 2NG

‘The Blue’, 11 Market Place, Southwark Park Road, London SE16 3UQ

What the council need when you make a complaint

• Your current contact details and the names, addresses or department of anyone else involved in the complaint.
• If you are complaining on behalf of someone else they will need evidence from them that they have agreed to this.
• Try to list clearly the main things you are concerned about, what you think they’ve done wrong, how it has affected you and what you want them to do to put things right.
• Tell them what happened and when.
• Provide any correspondence which is relevant to your complaint.
• If known, include the names of the officers who are dealing with you.
• Include any relevant reference numbers – for example, the reference number of your housing benefit claim.

Local Government Ombudsman (LGO)

If you are not satisfied with the response to your complaint, you can approach the LGO.

The LGO is independent of the council, and investigates complaints about councils and adult social care providers (such as care homes).

Since 1 October 2010 the LGO has powers to deal with complaints from people who self fund or arrange their own personal adult social care.

The LGO’s role means that adults who arrange and pay for their own care, or have a personalised budget, will have the same access to the independent complaints service as those people who have had their care arranged and funded by local authorities.

For more information about the LGO service, visit http://www.lgo.org.uk/ or call 0300 061 0614.