Raise a comment, compliment, complaint or concern

Our Corporate Governance Team will deal with your complaints and concerns using our policy and procedures known as 'The 4Cs Toolkit'.

A complaint or concern is a way of letting us know that you're not happy with a particular service, it may be about a delay, lack of response, or about the standard of service you've received.

Please let us know if:

• you think we've done something wrong
• we've not done something that we said we would do
• you're not satisfied with a particular service, or set of services that we provide

Use our online form to raise a complaint or concern; alternatively, contact our Corporate Governance Team by email or telephone.

Dealing with your complaints

Find out about:

• complaints, concerns and The 4Cs Toolkit
• getting help to raise a complaint or concern
• what to do if you're unhappy with how we handle your complaint
• anonymous complaints
• unreasonable or unreasonably persistent complaints
• our annual complaints report
• how we improve our standards of service

The 4Cs Toolkit

We have 2 grades for dealing with complaints set out in our Policy and Procedures for Complaints, Concerns, Comments and Compliments ('The 4Cs Toolkit').

Each complaint is assessed and graded based on the issues raised, and:

• severity and complexity
• risk to the customer, other customers and the council
• history of similar complaints
• likelihood of future similar complaints

We'll also consider:

• the outcomes the complainant wants to resolve the complaint
• who is best placed to effectively respond to the complaint
• the complainant’s views of how the complaint should be dealt with

At any point, if we agree with your complaint we will:

• apologise and explain what went wrong
• provide the service you are entitled to receive
• change our process, where relevant, so that the mistake is not repeated

If you're raising a concern, comment or complaint you will not be treated unfairly as a result.

Top of page

If you're unhappy with how we handle your complaint

Contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) if you're not satisfied with our complaints procedure. If it's more appropriate to refer you to the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS), rather than the LGSCO, we'll let you know. Please be aware that neither the LGSCO nor the HOS will look at the merits of your complaint, but they may investigate how we've dealt with it.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) makes final decisions on complaints that we have not resolved. They'll look into your complaint if you believe:

• there's been injustice or hardship because we have not acted properly
• we have given a poor service, and not put things right

See details of previous ombudsman decisions about City of York Council.

Top of page

Anonymous complaints

We understand that it might be difficult for you to complain because you're worried that it could result in a poorer service to yourself or your household.

Please be assured that we treat all complaints against us in the strictest confidence, and that it is your right to complain.

Please note that we don’t always investigate a complaint when it is made anonymously.

Top of page

Unreasonable or unreasonably persistent complaints

Where a complaint is deemed to be deliberately unreasonable or unreasonably persistent, we may, at any stage of the complaints procedure, review the complaint and give a decision without a formal investigation.

If a complaint is substantially the same complaint as has been made by the same complainant within the previous 12 months, we may decide not to investigate.

In each of these circumstances you'll be informed in writing of our decision.

Top of page

Annual complaints report

We provide an annual report covering, Adults social care, Children’s social care, and Corporate complaints. It includes:

• Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and Housing Ombudsman Services (HOS) investigations
• performance levels
• themes
• payments
• costs of delivering the service

Read the latest Annual Complaints Report - 2021 to 2022

Read our previous complaints reports

• Annual Complaints Report - 2020 to 2021
• Annual Complaints Report - 2019 to 2020
• Annual Complaints Report - 2018 to 2019
• Annual Complaints Report - 2017 to 2018

Top of page

Improving our standards of service

Your complaint or concern will be dealt with properly and our response will be clear, outlining what we've done, and what we're unable to do.

On a regular basis, we'll evaluate all comments, compliments, complaints and concerns we receive and make any recommended changes in processes or service provision where the nature and level of 4Cs indicates that this is appropriate.

Top of page

Also see

• Council tax appeals
• Food safety complaints
• Environment and animal complaints (including noise, pollution and mess)
• Housing Ombudsman self assessment
• Parking enforcement
• Building and planning enforcement
• Complain about taxis
• Report fraud