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Complaints procedure - for adults

If you want to make a complaint

If you have a complaint, please first contact the manager responsible for the service you are unhappy with. We will try and sort out your complaint quickly. After speaking with the manager, if you are still unhappy, you can use our formal complaints procedure.

Our complaints procedure has three stages. We will contact you within two working days of receiving your complaint, and at each further stage, to let you know what will happen next.

 

3 stage complaints procedure for adults

Stage 1

Once we have received your complaint, a service manager will investigate and send you a response within 10 working days. They will let you know what we can do to sort out your complaint.

Stage 2

If you are unhappy with the response that you have received at stage 1, you can ask for your complaint to be reviewed. The head of the service or their executive director will write to you within 20 working days with their decision.

Stage 3

If you are unhappy with the response that you received at stage 2, you can ask the independent adjudicator to carry out a review of your complaint. The independent adjudicator will send a response to you within 30 working days.

For all stages of the complaints procedure, there may be times when it may take us slightly longer to respond to your complaint. If this is the case, we will write to let you know when you will receive a response.


Not all complaints fall under this procedure

Schools
For more information about this go to Complaints about schools

Social Care & Health
For more information about this go to Complaints about social services

Appeals

Some services related to council tax, housing benefit, planning, parking charge notices (PCNs) and school admissions have different appeal procedures. If your complaint falls under an appeal procedure, we will not be able to investigate your complaint under our complaints procedure. We will tell you if this is the case.