Feedback and Complaints

Customer Feedback

We would like to hear from you. Listening to our customers is at the heart of what we do. Please tell us if you have any ideas or suggestions on how we can improve our service.

We will analyse the information provided by our customers to help us improve our policies, procedures, and performance.

How Do I Give You My Views?

• Online: Fill out our online feedback form.
• Email: Send an email to feedback@boston.gov.uk
• Mail: Write to The Feedback Team, Boston Borough Council, Municipal Buildings, West Street, Boston, Lincolnshire, PE21 8QR.
• In Person: Speak to one of our customer service advisors at the above address during working hours.
• Phone: Call us at 01205 314200.

Complaints

Please let us know when things go wrong. We always try to get things right the first time. However, we appreciate that this doesn't always happen.

If you are not satisfied with the service you have received, please let us know by contacting the department concerned or by speaking to one of our customer service advisors. We will do our best to put things right.

It is important that we learn from our mistakes. Therefore, the outcomes of some complaints will be used to improve our procedures, performance, and service to the public.

More information is available in the feedback policy.

You can make a comment or complaint anonymously, but without contact details, we will be unable to provide you with a response.

Areas Not Covered by Our Complaints Procedure

• Appeals against refusal of planning permission or conditions placed on a grant of planning permission.
• Challenging a benefit or council tax decision.
• Complaints about neighbours or other people.
• Where there is an alternative mechanism for appealing the Councils actions.

Council's Complaints Procedure

Stage 1: Complaint Investigation

• A complaint should be made as soon as possible and within a year of the event taking place.
• We aim to acknowledge your complaint within 5 days of receipt.
• We aim to respond to complaints within 10 working days of our acknowledgment. However, some complaints may take longer to investigate.
• We cannot investigate a complaint about an issue that took place more than 12 months ago.

Stage 2: Complaint Review

• We aim to conclude a review investigation within 20 working days of the review request being acknowledged. However, some reviews may take longer to investigate, and the deadline may be extended.

If you wish to make a complaint and/or receive a response in a different way, please contact us and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

If you are not happy with the way in which we have handled your complaint or the result, you can contact the Local Government Ombudsman.

Local Government Ombudsman

You can contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman at:

                    PO Box 4771
                    Coventry
                    CV4 0EH
                    Tel: 0300 061 0614

You are advised to take up your problem with us first, before contacting the ombudsman.

Councillor Complaints

There is a separate process for Councillor complaints with details in the useful pages section.