Complaints procedure

We will take all complaints we receive very seriously.

1. What we can help with

If you are unhappy with the service you get from MHCLG, we will look at:

  • if you are unhappy with the way we responded to an enquiry or the time that we took to respond (or if we didn’t respond)
  • if you think we have not followed a formal process or the law when dealing with a complaint
  • any incorrect action or failure to take action or investigate
  • if we made inaccurate or misleading statements
  • inadequate consultation or liaison
  • any rudeness or offensive remarks

We don’t cover:

We also don’t cover actions by:

  • local authorities
  • other sponsored bodies, such as our executive agencies
  • the Local Government Ombudsman
  • other government departments

2. Send your complaint to us

When making your complaint, please include as much detail as possible, for example:

  • the nature of the complaint
  • the names of any MHCLG staff concerned
  • what (if anything) you have done so far
  • what you would like us to do to sort things out

We have a 2 stage process:

Stage 1 - complain directly to the officer concerned

You can complain directly to the person you have been in contact with or if you don’t know who to contact, email complaints@communities.gov.uk   We aim to respond to your complaint within 20 working days.

Stage 2 - complain to the complaints officer

If you are not satisfied, you can ask the departmental complaints officer to investigate.

The complaints officer is independent from other parts of the department and will consider the matter. They aim to respond within 20 working days, but if this is not possible, we will let you know.

The stage 2 response is normally the department’s final response.

3. Review by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

If you are still unhappy, you can ask your MP to take your complaint to the independent Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) to review the handling of your complaint.

PHSO
Citygate
Mosley Street
Manchester
M2 3HQ

Helpline: 0345 015 4033,
open Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5.00pm, Friday 8.30am to 12pm

Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

Website: https://www.ombudsman.org.uk

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