MAKING A COMPLAINT

Camden does not officially recognise a complaint until it is has gone through their official procedure.
You can complain in the following ways :

If you have difficulty filling in the form yourself, your local Citizen Advice Bureau will often help you.

The complaints procedure has three stages. If you are unsatisfied with stage one you then apply to stage two and finally stage three to the Chief Executive’s Office.

Persevere with this process, many of us have been worn down trying to write new letters at each stage — we could have submitted essentially the same letter and saved energy as we discovered the responses from Camden did not really change at any stage.

Camden have a very useful set of pages on their website about how to complain. Go here (http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/council-and-democracy/having-your-say/complaints-and-suggestions/tips-on-making-your-complaint.en) to access these.

Timescales for a response

Camden’s published timescales for a response are :

Hints and Tips on Making your Complaint

1. Don’t waste time

If you have already sent letters etc. to individuals within Camden and you don't want to go over old ground just put "Please see attached" on the form and attach your correspondence.

2. Be specific, not general

Bad: " I have spent ages on the phone telling them about the rubbish outside my door but they never do anything."

Good: " I spoke to Ms/Mr. xxxx on Thursday the 15th of January at 3 p.m. and she/he undertook to have the rubbish removed within a week. This has not been done."

3. Say what you want done

Bad: "Please get this sorted out."
Good: "I want the rubbish removed within one week from the date of this complaint".

If they don't do what you ask, fill in another complaints form or write again to escalate the complaint to the next level of management.

4. Encourage Camden staff to do better next time

Bad: "I hope that this will not happen again"

Good: "The relevant member/s of staff should be retrained or disciplined to stop this happening in the future”.

5. Ask for compensation

Staff handling complaints in most organisations are trained to say sorry. This costs nothing and is frequently not genuine. Having to part with money makes the point much better.

If you want compensation for specific expenses be prepared to provide proof in the form of invoices or receipts.

6. Don't be abusive

Be factual, positive, firm, blunt even, but do not cross the line of abuse, however tempting.

7. Keep records and copies of all telephone conversations and correspondence

That way they can’t deny things later on and you will have a record of what was agreed or what they said they would do. Even if you speak to someone on the phone, it’s often a good idea to ask them to confirm what has been agreed in writing so they can’t back out later. Make sure you take a note of their name as Camden have a habit of denying phone calls where you can’t pin down an individual you spoke to.

Camden offers its own tips on complaining. Go here to access them: http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/council-and-democracy/having-your-say/complaints-and-suggestions/tips-on-making-your-complaint.en

The Local Government Ombudsman

If you have exhausted Camden’s complaints procedure but are still unhappy with the way matters have been dealt with, you can complain to the Local Government Ombudsman.

The Local Government Ombudsman is an independent person who investigates allegations of maladministration causing injustice to the person who has complained.

The Ombudsman investigates complaints about most council matters including housing, planning, education, social services and council tax.

You can go to their website at: www.lgo.org.uk - for more information.

Or write to them at:
The Commission for Local Administration in England
Millbank Tower
Millbank
London SW1P 4QP

Phone: 020 7217 4620
Fax: 020 7217 4621

Leasehold Valuation Tribunal

In certain cases, you are entitled to take your case to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal (LVT) to resolve your complaint.

The LVT has power to determine disputes on the amount of the landlord's reasonable costs arising from the overall action for the enfranchisement or lease extension (excluding any costs of application to the LVT) and to determine the extent of tenants' liability for the landlord's costs in cases of withdrawal or deemed withdrawal.

For a full list of the LVT’s rights of determination and other information, see the LEASE website or phone them for more information and a leaflet.