Compliments and complaints

We aim to deliver high quality and efficient services.

We’re always trying to do better and we welcome your feedback to help us build on strengths and learn from mistakes.

When things go well, we appreciate compliments and suggestions. If things go wrong we want to rectify the problem as fairly and quickly as possible.

A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction by any one or more members of the public about our actions or lack of action or about the standard of service. This applies whether the action was taken or the service was provided by the New Forest National Park Authority itself or a person or body acting on our behalf.

Our complaints procedure is not a review or an appeal procedure for you to challenge the merits of decisions. Neither is it a way to ask for a review of a decision which goes against you.

Your comments and suggestions let us know if we have gone wrong, or can improve our service. They also help us to monitor any improvements we make.

It assists us to deal with your complaints or comments if you contact us within four weeks of the relevant incident, if possible.

What if I have an objection to a decision we have made?

Objections to the merits of decisions that we have made, including those on planning matters, will not be dealt with under the complaints procedure described. However, if you feel that the procedure or process followed in reaching a decision was incorrect or unfair you may wish to lodge a complaint on this basis.

We operate a three stage complaints procedure to ensure complaints are dealt with impartially, objectively and professionally.

We would normally expect you to raise your complaint within one calendar month of the event or matter that has caused you concern, although in exceptional circumstances we will consider your complaint after that time has elapsed. Please note that we will not normally consider complaints that are raised more than six months after the date of the relevant event or matter.

Stage One: Informal complaints

If your complaint is about a member of staff, why not talk to him or her directly? You may find that the matter can easily be resolved. Alternatively, you may prefer to talk to their manager.

Stage Two: Formal complaints

If it is not possible to settle the complaint informally, or you do not wish to do so, please submit your complaint in writing or complete and return the attached customer feedback form to the address provided. Please set out your complaint as fully and clearly as possible, including the name of the relevant member of staff and the date of the incident you are complaining about, if known. You can ask someone to help you.

All formal complaints should be made to:

The Information and Data Protection Officer

New Forest National Park Authority
Lymington Town Hall
Avenue Road
Lymington
SO41 9ZG

Email: feedback@newforestnpa.gov.uk

Complaint form

Your complaint will be recorded and referred to the Director or a senior officer of the relevant service for investigation, or, if the complaint involves the Chief Executive, to the Monitoring Officer or another person authorised by him/her.

We will normally acknowledge receipt of your written complaint within five working days and let you know the name of the person who is dealing with it, who will then respond to you personally within 20 working days or send an interim response if it is likely to take longer.

Stage Three: Referral to Chief Executive

If you have gone through the formal complaints procedure described in Stage Two above and you are not satisfied with the results of the investigation, you may ask for your complaint to be forwarded to the Chief Executive Officer of the NPA for review, or, if the complaint involves the Chief Executive, to the Monitoring Officer or another person authorised by him/her. You will receive a response within 20 working days of your request. We would normally expect you to request the referral of your complaint to Stage Three within 40 days of the NPA’s Stage Two response.

Who will see my complaint?

All comments and complaints are treated in confidence and will not disadvantage you in any future dealings you might have with the New Forest National Park Authority.

However, it may not always be possible to keep your details confidential, such as where allegations are made concerning the conduct of third parties, or where particular legislation applies to your complaint.

We always want to improve our service and resolve problems as quickly as possible.

If your complaint is upheld:

• You will receive a written apology; and
• An explanation of any redress and any steps taken to prevent a similar problem recurring.

If your complaint is not upheld, the officer who conducted the investigation will write to you explaining the reasoning behind the decision.

This step concludes our complaints procedure.

If you wish simply to request an explanation for an action we have taken, or to comment on the service you have received from us, you can contact us in the ways set out below.

Call us on 01590 646600 and request to be put through to the relevant service, or write to:

New Forest National Park Authority
Lymington Town Hall
Avenue Road
Lymington
SO41 9ZG

Email: feedback@newforestnpa.gov.uk

Most of the time, we hope your complaint will be resolved to your satisfaction. If that is not the case, you may refer your complaint to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO).

The LGSCO investigates complaints of maladministration. Maladministration means that we have done something we should not have done, done something the wrong way or failed to do something we should have done. The LGSCO will not investigate our actions solely because you do not agree with a decision we have made.

You may contact the LGSCO at any time, but LGSCO recommends that you use our own complaints procedure first.

In some cases, relations between us and complainants may deteriorate while complaints are under investigation and there is little prospect of achieving a satisfactory outcome. In such circumstances there is often little purpose in following through all stages of the complaints procedure and where this occurs the LGSCO may be prepared to consider complaints before our complaints procedures have been exhausted.

You can contact the LGSCO at:

Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman
PO Box 4771
Coventry
CV4 0EH

Telephone: 0300 061 0614
Contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman

Vexatious or persistent complaints

We aim to deal fairly, honestly and properly with complainants whilst ensuring that other service users and our officers do not suffer any detriment from a person making repeated and persistent unreasonable complaints or behaving in a threatening or difficult way, whilst recognising the rights of complainants under the Human Rights Act 1998.

In these circumstances the officer dealing with the complaint (the complaint handler) will discuss the matter with the Complaints Officer. These officers will decide, in consultation with the Chief Executive and/or Monitoring Officer, whether to designate the complainant as vexatious or unreasonably persistent and, if so act in accordance with our procedures for dealing with complaints of this nature. This decision will not be taken lightly and the we must be satisfied that the proposed action is proportionate and necessary.

What is a vexatious or persistent complaint?

Unreasonable behaviour may sometimes arise when complainants hinder the consideration of their own or other people’s complaints, because of the frequency of their contact with us. Sometimes the situation between us and a complainant can escalate and the complainant’s behaviour moves from being unreasonably persistent to behaviour which is unacceptable, for example, abusive, offensive or threatening.