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Complaints procedure

There may be times when you feel unhappy with the service you receive and wish to complain. If you make a complaint, we will investigate it thoroughly and promptly and let you know the outcome.

The council’s complaints procedure has two stages:

Stage one

The people best placed to resolve any problem or concern you might have are usually the people providing the service and so in the first instance you should contact them direct with your complaint and they will try and sort things out straight away. You can do this by emailing, phoning or writing to the service, through the council's website or in person at one of the council's contact points.

Or you can contact Customer First by phone on 01634 333333.

Text Relay: 18001 01634 333333

By email at: customer.first@medway.gov.uk

Write to:

Customer First
Medway Council
Gun Wharf
Dock Road
Chatham
Kent ME4 4TR

The service will acknowledge your complaint within three working days of receiving it and then look into it and get back to you within 10 working days. (Please note that some staff in Children and Adults - Caring and Learning work to different timetables, set out by law. Schools also have their own complaints procedure.)

Depending on the nature of your complaint and what you want to happen this may be in writing or the service might phone you to explain what we have done to put things right. If the service can't provide a full reply within 10 working days it will let you know, explain the reason for the delay and give you a date by which it will get back to you.

Stage two

If you are unhappy with the outcome of stage one, you can complain to the Chief Executive's Complaints Officer by emailing ceco@medway.gov.uk, phone 01634 332456, or by letter to the following address:

Chief Executive's Complaints Office
Medway Council
Gun Wharf
Dock Road
Chatham
Kent ME4 4TR

Your complaint will be reviewed and the council will aim to send a full response within 10 working days. Again, the council will let you know if it is going to take any longer.

At any stage you can talk to your local councillor. Or a third party, such as an MP or community organisation, can make a representation on your behalf.

Statutory appeals

Some council services such as planning and parking, have statutory appeal processes with their own time limits. If this is the case, we will let you know straight away what they are and what you need to do. In some cases we are not able to investigate your complaint until the appeal process has been completed.

If you are still not satisfied

Medway Council hopes that its complaints procedure will help to sort out quickly and successfully any problems you may have with the way its services are provided. However, if you are still not satisfied with the way we handle your complaint or the conclusions we reach you can take your complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman.

Social Care complaints

Complaints about social care are handled differently in line with statutory procedures. More information about how social care complaints are handled can be obtained from the Social Care Complaints Manager by phone on 01634 333036 or by emailing sccm@medway.gov.uk.

Complaints about schools

Schools also have their own complaints procedures; please contact the relevant school direct for a copy of its policy.

 

For more information contact Customer First by telephone: 01634 333333 / TextRelay 18001 01634 333333 or by email: customer.first@medway.gov.uk

Write to: Customer First, Medway Council, Gun Wharf, Dock Road, Chatham, Kent ME4 4TR

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