Guidance

Complaints procedure: Lord-Lieutenants, Vice Lord-Lieutenants and Deputy Lieutenants

Published 18 March 2021

The Cabinet Office is committed to providing a high-quality service to everyone we deal with. We want to help you resolve your complaint as quickly as possible. This policy covers complaints about Lord-Lieutenants, Vice Lord-Lieutenants and Deputy Lieutenants. Our complaints policy does not cover:

• matters that have already been fully investigated through this complaints procedure
• anonymous complaints
• complaints about access to information where procedures and remedies are set out in legislation, eg Freedom of Information Act, Data Protection Act
• issues which fall within the remit of legal, professional or regulatory bodies.

Our standards for handling complaints

• we treat all complaints seriously, whether they are made by letter or by email
• you will be treated with courtesy and fairness at all times - we would hope, too, that you will be courteous and fair in your dealings with our staff dealing with your complaint at all times
• we will treat your complaint in confidence within the department
• we will deal with your complaint promptly - we will acknowledge receipt of a written complaint within 5 working days and we will endeavour to send you a full reply within 20 working days of receipt
• if we cannot send a full reply within 20 working days of receipt we will tell you the reason why and let you know when we will be able to reply in full

Persistent and/or vexatious complaints

Persistent and/or vexatious complaints ^{[footnote 1]} are becoming an increasing problem for all departments and public sector bodies, and difficulties in handling such complaints can place strain on time and resources and can be stressful for staff who have to deal with these complex and challenging issues. In order to counter this, we will not respond to a complaint that we consider is vexatious or unreasonable.

Confidentiality

All complaints received will be dealt with confidentially and in accordance with the requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018. We expect applicants to treat any correspondence relating to the complaint as confidential.

How to complain

You can make a complaint by email or post.

You can send an email or write to the Lord-Lieutenants Appointments Team. The contact details for the Lord-Lieutenants Appointments Team are:

Lord-Lieutenants Appointments Team
Cabinet Office,
Room G.39,
1 Horse Guards Road,
London
SW1A 2HQ

Email: lordlieutenantsenquiries@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

We have a two stage complaints procedure. At each stage it will help us to resolve your complaint quickly if you can give us as much clear detail as possible, including any documents and correspondence, and stating that you are making a complaint in line with our procedure. You must explain clearly and concisely the complaint you want the department to investigate. Representations will be sought from the subject of the complaint and other relevant parties as appropriate.

The stages of the complaints procedure

Stage 1

This is the first opportunity for the department to resolve a complainant’s dissatisfaction, and the majority of complaints will be resolved at this stage. In the first instance, we will try to get your complaint resolved by the Lord-Lieutenant of the county/place involved – or if the complaint is about the Lord-Lieutenant by the Head of Lieutenancy Policy in the Cabinet Office. Upon receipt of your complaint, we will contact the relevant individual and ask them to deal with your complaint.

Stage 2

If you are dissatisfied with this response you may request a review by the Prime Minister’s Appointments Secretary. Your request should be sent to the Lord-Lieutenants Appointments Team. The contact details for the Lord-Lieutenants Appointments Team are:

Lord-Lieutenants Appointments Team
Cabinet Office,
Room G.39,
1 Horse Guards Road,
London
SW1A 2HQ

Email: lordlieutenantsenquiries@cabinetoffice.gov.uk

Decision

A complaint will either be upheld or dismissed and reasons provided for the decision. All parties involved in the process will be notified in writing.

Outcomes

You will be notified of any specific outcome along with the decision.

Extending time limits

We aim to complete all complaints within the timescales noted above. However, if a complaint is very complex or requires consultation and representations from the subject of the complaint, it may occasionally be necessary to extend the time limit. If this is the case, we will keep the complainant informed of progress with the investigation, the reasons for the delay, and the new deadline. Following Stage 1 of the procedure, a complainant has a maximum of 28 days from the date of the Cabinet Office’s response to request that their complaint be progressed to the second stage.

1. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman defines unreasonably persistent complainants as those who, because of the frequency or nature of their contact with an authority, hinder the authority’s consideration of their or other people’s complaints. ↩