Make a complaint

What is not a complaint

There are some situations that are not dealt with under the complaints process:

• missed bins and recycling
• reports of problems such as a pothole or a faulty street lights
• application for a service
• explanations of policy or practise
• requests for information - please see our page on Freedom of Information.
• where a service has a right of appeal - please use the relevant appeals procedure eg planning appeals
• a complaint that has been heard by a court or tribunal
• reporting damage or a personal injury where you believe we are responsible for eg a personal injury caused by a hazard on a road or pavement, or an insurance claim against us 

What happens if you are unhappy with our response to your complaint

If you are unhappy with our response to your complaint, you can ask for an independent investigation which will be considered by our feedback team. If you are unsatisfied with the process, you will be advised to contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO). You can view the full process in our Corporate Complaints Policy (PDF, 243 KB). Any enquiries to the LGSCO before the process is completed may be declined.

Services with a different complaint process

To make a complaint about other services, please use the specific information below.

• Adult social care:
  • Compliments, comments and complaints about adult social care services
  • Adult and Health Service Annual Representations Report 2023-24 (PDF, 433 KB)
• Children and young people's services:
  • Compliments, comments and complaints about Children's Services
  • Young person's guide to comments, compliments and complaints
• Council housing:
  • Housing Complaints Policy (PDF, 236 KB)
  • Self-assessment showing compliance against the complaint handling code (PDF, 215 KB)
  • Annual Housing Complaints and Service Improvement Report 2023-24 (PDF, 174 KB)
  • Contact Council housing complaints
• Schools:
  • contact the head teacher of the relevant school
  • for advice, contact the School and Governor Support Service
• County councillors
• Housing associations in County Durham

Complaints about council staff

Complaints about council staff will be investigated outside of the corporate complaints process and the internal investigations are overseen by our Human Resources and Internal Audit teams. The issue will be thoroughly investigated as this has a potential to progress through our disciplinary policy. All details of the investigation must remain confidential between the council and the staff member(s) involved. You will be informed when the investigation is complete, but we will not be able to share details of the internal investigation or outcome with you.