Customer complaints

Comments, requests and complaints

We are keen to hear your views and respond to requests for information. You can contact us by phone, website, email, fax, in writing, in person or by using the online comments forms if you want to:

• Make a complaint
• Make a general comment
• Make a comment about the website 
• Request a service

You may also ask someone to contact us on your behalf.

Our complaints procedure sets out clearly how to make a complaint, the timetable for our response and action, and how you can appeal decisions. We will deal with your complaint under this procedure.

Our commitment to you

We are committed to providing high quality services. If you are not satisfied with our service or one of our contractors, please let us know. Your comment or complaint may help us to put things right for the future.

We will:

• Make it easy for you to contact us
• Respond  to telephone contacts within 1 working day and respond to written contacts (including emails) within 7 working days
• Let you know how long we will need to deal with your complaint and keep you informed of progress
• Apologise if we have made a mistake and do our best to put things right as quickly and fairly as possible

Our commitment to our staff

Making a complaint can be difficult and frustrating for you. We will treat you with courtesy and respect and we ask that you treat our staff in the same way. We will not accept unpleasant or abusive behaviour towards our staff.

How to make a complaint

Step 1

Contact the member of staff or department who provided the service. Explain what has happened and let them know what you would like the Council to do to put things right. We will try to resolve your complaint at this stage.

Step 2

If you do not accept the response to your complaint you can ask the Head of Department to review your complaint. He or she will give you a further response within 20 working days.

Step 3

If you are not satisfied with the response from the Head of Department, you can ask for your complaint to be reviewed by a Panel of three District Councillors who have not previously been involved in dealing with your complaint. You will have an opportunity to see and comment on the report about your complaint before it goes to the Panel.

Step 4

If you are not satisfied with the Panel's decision you can ask the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) to investigate. The Ombudsman may decide not to look into a complaint until we have had a chance to consider it under this procedure.

For further information contact the LGO at Millbank Tower, Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP. Telephone: 020 7217 4620. Email: enquiries.london@lgo.org.uk  

Dealing with other disputes

Some disputes may need to be handled outside of our complaints procedure such as:

• Where a separate right of appeal exists, for example, in relation to planning decisions, determinations of housing benefit or decisions about the amount of council tax you pay.
• Where you wish to disagree with a decision of the Council or one of its committees.
• Where legal proceedings are involved.
• Where you have made a claim for compensation which we refer to our insurers.

The main services the Council provides are listed on a separate page, linked below:

Services and Council Officials >

To make a complaint please use the following contact details:

Council Tax and Bus Passes

Tel: 01273 484468      Fax: 01273 484462

Email: finance@lewes.gov.uk

Benefits

Tel: 01273 471600      Fax: 01273 484066

Email: benefit@lewes.gov.uk

Community Services

Tel: 01273 484999      Fax: 01273 484462

Email: customer.service@lewes.gov.uk

Planning, Building Control, Economic Development, Tourism and Arts

Tel: 01273 484435      Fax: 01273 484452

Email: planning@lewes.gov.uk

Environment and Health

Tel: 01273 484379      Fax: 01273 484451

Email: ehealth@lewes.gov.uk

Housing (Homelessness/Housing Advice)

Tel: 01273 484007      Fax: 01273 484008

Email: housing@lewes.gov.uk

Housing (Council Housing)

Tel: 01273 484321      Fax: 01273 484431

Email: housing@lewes.gov.uk

Democratic Services (Elections/Meetings)

Tel: 01273 484174      Fax: 01273 484146

Email: admin@lewes.gov.uk

Legal Services (Estates/Land Charges)

Tel: 01273 484118      Fax: 01273 484121

Email: legal@lewes.gov.uk

Personnel Services

Tel: 01273 484252      Fax: 01273 484233

Email: jobs@lewes.gov.uk

IT Services

Tel: 01273 484047      Fax: 01273 484101

Email: help.desk@lewes.gov.uk

Commission for Racial Equality
201 - 211 Borough High Street
London SE1 1GZ
Phone: 0207 939 0000

Sompriti (Working with Black and Minority Ethnic People in East Sussex)
66 High Street
Lewes BN7 1XG
Phone 01273 477550

Equal Opportunities Commission
Overseas House
Quay Street
Manchester M3 3JN
Phone: 0161 833 9244

Disability Rights Commission
DRC Helpline
Freepost MID 02164
Stratford-upon-Avon
CV37 9HY
Phone: 08457 622 633
Fax: 08457 778 878
Textphone 08457 622 644

You can also contact the Local Racist Incident Caseworker on 01273 474809, your Local Citizens' Advice Bureau and other voluntary organisations who may be able to help you and take up the complaint for you.

Find out who your local councillors are here or by phoning the Councillor Services Officer on 01273 484106.