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Have you a suggestion or comment regarding our services?
If you have a suggestion or comment about any of the Housing
Department's services, we would like to hear from you. We
want to improve our service to all our customers by hearing what
you have to say about the service. Whether it is good or bad
your opinion is important to us so we can continue to
improve.
Suggestions or comments about the way in which we might
improve our services are helpful and any praise will be passed to
staff concerned.
Please let us have your feedback by emailing
housing@barrowbc.gov.uk or
telephoning (01229) 876310 or writing to Housing Department,
Cavendish House, 78 Duke Street, Barrow-in-Furness LA14 1RR.
Our Service Standards
The Housing Service aims to provide the highest standard of
services possible within the resources available. We aim to
treat everybody equally, whilst recognising the different needs of
our customers. Our
Service
Charter - Local Standards leaflet tells you what standards you
can expect to receive from us.
Are you unhappy with the Council?
The Council aims to provide a quality service to all its
customers. However, there may be occasions when you are
unhappy about something we have done or about a service which we
provide. If that's the case, then please tell us about it so
that we can examine the problem. Where we are wrong, we will
say so and attempt to resolve the matter as quickly as we
can. If we cannot resolve the problem to your satisfaction,
we will explain why.
Who and how do I contact about a problem?
If you are dissatisfied with the service that you have
received from the Housing Department, you should initially contact
the relevant Housing section. You can make your complaint in
person, by phone or in writing and we will listen to you and
endeavour to solve the problem immediately. Please write or
call in to: Housing Department, Cavendish House, 78 Duke Street,
Barrow-in-Furness LA14 1RR or email:
housing@barrowbc.gov.uk or
telephone (01229) 876310. If we can't resolve your
problem straight away, we will investigate the matter and respond
to you within 10 working days.
We hope to satisfactorily resolve all complaints at this
stage. If, for any reason you remain dissatisfied, you can
then make a formal complaint.
How do I make a formal complaint?
If, after being dealt with by the Housing Department, your
complaint has not been resolved to your satisfaction, you can make
a formal complaint to the Council. A formal complaint must be
made in writing and preferably on a Council's Complaint Form.
A copy of the Council's Complaints Form is available from the
Housing Department or can be downloaded :
Complaints form in Adobe Acrobat format
suitable for printing. The completed Complaint Form
should then be returned to:
Democratic Services Officer
Democratic Services
Town Hall
Barrow-in-Furness
Cumbria
LA14 2LD
If it is more convenient for you, the form can also be
returned to the Housing Department.
If you are making a complaint on behalf of someone else,
please include their name and address. If you are sending any
documents or previous correspondence, please indicate whether or
not you wish these to be returned to you.
What happens next?
On receiving the form, the Democratic Services Officer will
send you an acknowledgement within three working days. You
will then receive a full reply within ten working days of the
acknowledgement date from the Officer responsible for the service
your complaint is about. If a reply is likely to take longer than
this, you will be informed as to when a reply can be
expected.
If you are not satisfied with the reply to your complaint, you
should write again, as soon as possible, explaining why you are not
satisfied with the Council's reply and whether you wish your
complaint to be further investigated.
We will investigate your complaint in a fair and equitable way
to achieve a satisfactory solution to the problem. However,
if this is not possible or if you are unhappy with the Council's
procedure, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Local
Government Ombudsman - details below - who may undertake an
independent investigation on your behalf. Please ask if you
would like further information.
You may also wish to raise your complaint with one of our
local Councillors. We will be pleased to advise you who your
local Councillors are and how to contact them.
Local Government Ombudsman
We will investigate your complaint in a fair and equitable way
to achieve a satisfactory solution to the problem. However,
if this is not possible or if you are unhappy with the Council's
procedure, you have the right to refer your complaint to the Local
Ombudsman who may undertake an independent investigation on your
behalf.
The Local Government Ombudsman is an independent person who
investigates allegations of maladministration causing injustice to
the person who has complained. The Ombudsman investigates
complaints about most council matters including housing, planning,
education, social services and council tax. The Ombudsman who deals
with this Council is at:
Beverley House, 17 Shipton Road, York, YO30
5FZ.
If you have an enquiry about the Local Government Ombudsman's
service you can telephone their Adviceline on
0845 602 1983.
Help with making a Complaint
If you feel you need independent or legal advice, one of the
organisations listed on the Community Legal
Services page may be able to help you.