Rochford District Council aims to deliver a first class service to all its customers. We see all feedback, whether good or bad, as a valuable way for us to learn and improve. Therefore we welcome all comments, compliments and complaints.
What type of feedback do you have?
Comment
These are generally situations which need attention from the Council or a contractor, such as broken playground equipment, and any suggestions about how to improve a service.
If you make a comment to the Council, this will be logged and passed to the relevant Council department to take action as necessary.
Compliment
A positive experience with Council services, where staff have gone over and above the customers expectations.
Acknowledgement of good service is a very positive way for the Council to learn from customers. Details of all compliments received will be shared with the staff members and teams concerned, as well as at management level.
Complaint
Negative experience caused directly by Council policy, staff or work. Occasions where the Council fails to deal with issues effectively and/or within a reasonable timescale.
For full details on our complaints procedure, please continue to the 'Complaints Procedure' section below.
How to give your feedback to Rochford District Council
You can give us your feedback in the following ways:
- Online: You can provide us with your feedback instantly by completing this online form.
- By email: You can email customerservices@rochford.gov.uk.
- By post: Send us a letter. Our address details can be found on our Contact Page.
- By phone: You can phone customer services on 01702 318111.
Complaints Procedure
The Council recognises that on occasion the standards of service offered might slip below those which you would expect to receive. You may also feel that a decision or action that the Council has taken has adversely affected you.
Informal Stage
If you are dissatisfied in any way with the council please give our customer services team the opportunity to look into this matter and either, provide you with an explanation of our actions or endeavour to resolve the issue at first point of contact. You can phone, or visit our offices in Rochford or Rayleigh, but if this is not possible you can email to customerservices@rochford.gov.uk.
Stage 2
If your complaint is of a serious nature or we have failed to respond to you satisfactorily at the informal stage your complaint will move to Stage 2. The complaint will be logged on our formal complaints log and passed to the relevant service area who will aim to respond to you within five working days of receipt. However, sometimes complaints need more detailed investigation and this may mean we need a little more time before we respond. If there is likely to be a delay in dealing with your complaint, we will always let you know.
Stage 3
If you remain dissatisfied you may ask for a further review to be undertaken. An appropriate Director or Assistant Director who has not previously been involved will then carry out the review, and keep you up to date as to the progress. When the review is complete they will advise you of the outcome.
Stage 4
If we have been unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction you can pursue it with the Local Government Ombudsman. The Ombudsman is an independent person who investigates complaints against local Councils. We will provide you with a leaflet explaining how to make a complaint to the Ombudsman when we let you know the outcome of our investigation.