The Complaints Procedure

There are three stages to the TMO's Complaints Procedure

Step 1 – The Complaint / Enquiry

When a problem first arises your first step should always be to contact the relevant officer or department. Hopefully they will be able to sort the problem out there and then.

If they are unable help you immediately, the officer dealing with your case should get back to you within ten working days.

When making a complaint or enquiry you should always outline the problem, any history which might be involved and what you would like us to do to put it right. You should also keep a record of any telephone conversations, or letters written, in case you want to make a formal complaint.

If you are unsure which officer, please download our list of frontline staff [PDF] (89.2 kb).

If you are unhappy with the response you receive, or you have waited for more than 10 working days, you should approach the Customer Relations Team to make a formal complaint.

Please note that the Customer Relations Team are unable to accept complaints which have not previously been raised with the relevant officer. They are however, always willing to help you get in contact with the relevant officer.

Step 2 – The Formal Complaint

If you are not happy with the response to your complaint, or if we have taken longer than ten working days without a reasonable explanation, you can make a formal complaint. Formal complaints are made to the Customer Relations Team and can be made by letter, email, telephone call or on a complaints form.

You can also book an appointment to speak with a Customer Relations Officer direct. Formal complaints are responded to by the relevant manager and we aim to respond within ten working days - although for more complex cases we might need a little longer.

If we do we will write to you within ten working days and let you know the expected time-frame. When making a formal complaint you should always outline the problem, which officer has been dealing with it so far and whether you wish to make a formal complaint because you are unhappy with their response, or because you have not received one. You should also tell us what you would like us to do about it.

Download a complaints form [PDF] (193 kb)

If you are not happy with the response to your formal complaint you have one opportunity to make an appeal. Appeals also need to be made via the Customer Relations Team and can be made by letter, email or on a complaints form. You can also book an appointment to speak with a Customer Relations Officer direct.

We cannot accept appeals over the telephone unless you are unable to write in English. Appeals are dealt with by the Customer Services Manager and senior management. Appeals are responded to within 15 working days. When making an appeal you should always outline the problem to date and why you feel our response is not satisfactory and what you think we should do to correct the situation.

You can download a complaints form here. (Complaints form). Details where to send the complaints form and for contacting the Customer Relations Team are given at the top of this page.

The appeal ends the complaints procedure. In certain cases the TMO may offer a mediation or arbitration service but this is at the discretion of the Customer Relations Team. In most cases if you are unhappy with the response to your appeal you should contact the Local Government Ombudsman. The Local Government Ombudsman is an independent organisation who monitors the actions of Local Government and investigates cases they think may have been handles badly. The TMO has a responsibility to consider the Ombudsman’s recommendations and act appropriately.