Concerns and Complaints

Flintshire County Council is committed to dealing effectively with any concerns or complaints you may have about our services. We believe in treating people fairly and with respect, and listening to our conscience and acting with integrity.

We aim to clarify any issues you may be unsure about. If possible, we will put right any mistakes we may have made. We will provide any service you are entitled to which we have failed to deliver. If we did something wrong, we will apologise and, where possible, try to put things right for you. We aim to learn from our mistakes and use the information we gain from complaints to improve our services.

The information below is to help guide you through our complaint process.

Informal Resolution

If possible, we believe it is best to deal with things straight away. If you have a concern, please raise it with the person you are dealing with. They will try to resolve it for you there and then.

Formal Resolution

Online Form

Complete our online form

Email

Email customerservices@flintshire.gov.uk

Telephone

Get in touch with Customer Services on 01352 703020 if you want to make your complaint over the phone.

Mail

Write to us at: Flintshire County Council, Customer Services, County Hall, Mold CH7 6NR.

What happens next?

STEP 1

We will acknowledge your concern within 5 working days and let you know how we intend to deal with it. We will aim to resolve concerns as quickly as possible and expect to deal with the vast majority within 10 working days.

STEP 2

If we do not succeed in resolving your complaint, you may ask us to escalate your complaint to Step 2. You can ask the person who has dealt with your complaint or contact Customer Services. We will tell you who we have asked to look into your concern or complaint and we will aim to respond within 20 working days.

Ombudsman

If we do not succeed in resolving your complaint, you may complain to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales. The Ombudsman is independent of all government bodies.

Note: The Ombudsman normally expects you to bring your concerns to our attention first and to give us a chance to put things right.

What we expect from you

In times of trouble or distress, some people may act out of character. There may have been upsetting or distressing circumstances leading up to a concern or a complaint. We do not view behaviour as unacceptable just because someone is forceful or determined.

We believe that all complainants have the right to be heard, understood and respected. However, we also consider that our staff have the same rights. We therefore expect you to be polite and courteous in your dealings with us. We will not tolerate aggressive or abusive behaviour, unreasonable demands or unreasonable persistence. We have a separate policy to manage situations when we find that someone’s actions are unacceptable.

Make a complaint

For complaints relating to Schools, Welsh Language, Social Services, and Councillors - see below for guidance

Complaint about the Welsh Language

Any complaint relating to the Council’s compliance with the Welsh Language Standards or a failure on the Council’s part to provide a bilingual service will follow the Council's complaints procedure. Officers dealing with complaints about non-compliance are trained to ensure they are aware of our responsibilities and our Strategic Policy Advisor is available to assist. You may also complain directly to the Welsh Language Commission.

Complaint against a School

If you have a problem with a school you should be able to sort it out through an informal discussion with relevant staff at the school. If you can't resolve a problem informally, the school should have a formal complaints procedure that you can follow. Please visit the school complaints area of our website for more information.

Complaint against a Councillor

If you want to make a formal complaint that a Councillor may have breached the Code of Conduct, you need to address the complaint to the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.

Complaint against a Social Services

Complaints against Social Services are managed separately. More information about the process can be found on the Social Services area of our website.

Insurance Claim

If you believe that we have failed in our duty of care, we have insurance in place to indemnify ourselves. More information can be found on the insurance claims area of our website.

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