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Complaints, Comments and Compliments

Complaints Handling Procedure

Published in January 2024

Contents

How to make a complaint, comment or compliment

Online

Fill in our complaints, comments and compliments form (link opens in a new window).

Email

Email us at [email protected]

Post

Write to
Complaints 
Freepost
Belfast City Council
BT1 5BR

Phone

You can:

  • call us on 028 9032 0202 and ask to speak to the relevant department, or
  • call our complaints office on 028 9027 0270.

Our complaints handling procedure

We are committed to providing high-quality customer services. We value complaints and use this information to help us improve our services.

Please tell us if something goes wrong or you are dissatisfied with our services. This page describes our complaints procedure and how to make a complaint. It also tells you about how we will handle your complaint and what you can expect from us.

What is a complaint?

We look at a complaint as “an expression of dissatisfaction by one or more members of the public about our action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by us or on our behalf”.

What can I complain about?

You can complain about things like:

  • when we fail or refuse to provide a service
  • poor quality or standard of service, or an unreasonable delay in providing a service
  • being unhappy with one of our policies or how it affects someone
  • not properly following the law, procedures or guidance when delivering services
  • failure to follow the right administrative process
  • conduct, treatment by or attitude of a staff member or contractor (unless the contractor has their own complaint process in place)
  • a concern about the actions or service of an organisation who is delivering services for us
  • disagreeing with a decision, (unless there is a statutory process to challenge that decision, or an established appeals process followed throughout the sector), or
  • being unhappy with how part of a planning decision was handled.

Your complaint may involve more than one of the council’s services or be about someone working on our behalf.

What can’t I complain about?

There are some things we can’t deal with through our complaints handling procedure. These include:

  • a routine first-time request for a service 
  • reporting a fault for the first time
  • a request for compensation only
  • issues that are in court or have already been heard by a court or a tribunal (if you decide to take legal action, you should tell us, as we cannot deal with the complaint through this process)
  • disagreeing with a decision where there is a statutory procedure to challenge it (such as UK data protection legislation), or an established appeals process followed throughout the local government sector (such as planning or a parking ticket appeal)
  • a request for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and Environmental Information Regulations 2004 (UK data protection legislation), and requests for decision reviews under these laws
  • complaints by a staff member or complaints relating to employment or recruitment
  • concerns raised by staff internally (which was not about a service they received, such as raising a concern)
  • concerns about a child or an adult’s safety
  • trying to reopen a complaint that had already been finished or to have a complaint reconsidered where we have given our final decision
  • a concern about the actions or service of a different organisation, when we are not involved in the issue (unless they are providing a service for us), or
  • challenging a decision made through a formal decision process. For example, a customer is disappointed with a planning decision but not with the process of the decision.

If other procedures or rights of appeal can help you resolve your concerns, we will give information and advice to help you.

Who can complain?

Anyone who receives, requests or is directly affected by our services, or a service that we contracted or commissioned, can make a complaint to us. This includes the representative of someone who is unhappy with our service (for example, a relative, friend, advocate or adviser). If you are making a complaint on someone else’s behalf, you will normally need their written consent. Read the section about getting help to make your complaint. 

Vexatious complaints

Sometimes customers make vexatious complaints. This means they persist unreasonably with their complaints or make complaints to make life difficult for us rather than resolving a complaint.

For example, this could involve making serial complaints about different matters or continuing to raise the same or similar matters. The frequency of their contact with us can slow down how we consider their complaints and our officers' ability to provide a quality service.

We believe it is important to distinguish between people who make different complaints because they genuinely believe things have gone wrong and people who are simply being difficult. We consider each complaint and decide whether it is genuine or vexatious.

Responsibilities of complainants

As a customer of Belfast City Council, you have the right to expect the best possible services. If we fall short, you have the right to complain. When you complain, we ask you to follow these guiding principles.

  • Provide enough details of your complaint.
  • Set out clearly the reasons why you are not satisfied. 
  • Provide accurate details and supporting correspondence or other related supporting evidence. 
  • If there has been a delay in submitting your complaint explain the cause of that delay.
  • Explain what you think would be a good outcome.
  • Treat our staff with good manners, politeness and civility always.
  • Accept that we will act fairly and promptly in dealing with your complaint.
  • Be reasonable and open-minded and listen to reasonable explanations.
  • Be realistic. It may not always be possible to achieve the outcome you want.

How do I complain?

You can complain in person at any of our offices or venues by phone, in writing or by email.

When complaining, please tell us:

  • your full name and contact details
  • as much as you can about the complaint
  • what has gone wrong, and
  • what outcome you are looking for.

For contact methods, go to our contact details.

How long do I have to make a complaint?

Normally, you must make your complaint within six months of:

  • the event you want to complain about, or
  • finding out that you have a reason to complain.

In rare circumstances, we may be able to accept a complaint after the time limit. If you feel that the time limit should not apply to your complaint, please tell us why.

What happens when I have complained?

We will always tell you who is dealing with your complaint and provide contact details. Our complaints procedure has two stages, Frontline response and Investigation.

Stage 1: Frontline response

We aim to respond to complaints quickly (where possible, when you first tell us about the issue). This could mean we give you an on-the-spot apology and explanation if something has clearly gone wrong, or immediate action to resolve the problem.

We will give you our decision at stage 1 in five working days or less, unless there are exceptional circumstances.

If you are not satisfied with the response, we give at stage 1, we will tell you what you can do next. If you choose to, you can take your complaint to stage 2. You must normally ask us to consider your complaint at stage 2 either:

  • within six months of the event you want to complain about or finding out that you have a reason to complain; or
  • within 30 days of receiving your stage 1 response from us (if this is later).

In rare circumstances, we may be able to accept a stage 2 complaint after the time limit. If you feel that the time limit should not apply to your complaint, please tell us why.

Stage 2: Investigation

Stage 2 deals with two types of complaint: those that have not been resolved at stage 1 and those that clearly need in-depth investigation. These are handled at this stage following discussion and agreement with you. If you do not want your complaint handled at stage 1, you can ask us to handle it at stage 2 instead.

When using stage 2, we will:

  • let you know we have got your complaint within three working days of receiving it
  • confirm our understanding of the complaint we need to investigate and what outcome you are looking for
  • try to resolve your complaint where we can (in some cases we may suggest using a different complaint resolution approach, such as mediation), and
  • where we cannot resolve your complaint, we will give you a full response as soon as possible, normally within 20 working days.

If our investigation will take longer than 20 working days, we will tell you. We will tell you our revised time limits and keep you updated on progress.

What if I’m still dissatisfied?

After we have given you our final decision, if you are still dissatisfied with our decision or the way we dealt with your complaint, you can ask the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO) to look at it.

NIPSO

NIPSO is the final stage for complaints about most public services in Northern Ireland. This includes complaints about us. NIPSO is an independent organisation that investigates complaints. The service provided by NIPSO is free. It is not an advocacy or support service (but there are other organisations who can help you with advocacy or support).

If you remain dissatisfied when you have a final response from us, you can ask NIPSO to look at your complaint. NIPSO usually expect you to send your complaint to them within six months of the date you received our message telling you that the complaints handling procedure had finished and that you have the right to take your complaint to NIPSO.

NIPSO will generally ask you to provide details of your complaint and a copy of our final response to your complaint. You can contact NIPSO online or call 0800 34 34 24.

You may wish to get independent support or advocacy to help you progress your complaint. See getting help to make my complaint.

NIPSO’s contact details are:

The Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman
33 Wellington Place
Belfast
BT1 6HN

Freephone: 0800 34 34 24
Email: [email protected]
Web: NIPSO (link opens in new window)

If you would like to visit NIPSO in person, you must make an appointment.

Their freepost address is: FREEPOST NIPSO

If NIPSO cannot investigate your complaint and your complaint needs an alternative route for independent review, NIPSO will tell you and provide you with the relevant contact details.

Getting help to make a complaint

We understand that you may be unable or unwilling to make a complaint yourself. We accept complaints from the representative of a person who is not happy with our service. We can take complaints from a friend, relative, or an advocate, if you have given them your consent to complain for you.

You can find out about advisers in your area through Advice NI (link opens in new window).

We are committed to making our service easy to use for all members of the community. In line with our statutory equality duties, we will always make sure that reasonable adjustments are made to help you access and use our services. If you have trouble putting your complaint in writing, or want this information in another language or format, such as large font, or Braille, please tell us in person, phone or email.

Our contact details

You can contact our complaints office by:

We can also provide our complaints handling procedure in other languages and formats (such as large print, audio and Braille).

Summary of our complaints procedure

You can make your complaint in person, by phone, by email or in writing. We have a two-stage complaints procedure. We will always try to deal with your complaint quickly. But if the matter needs in-depth investigation, we will talk to you about this and keep you updated on our progress.

Stage 1: Frontline response 

We will always try to respond to your complaint quickly, within five working days if we can.

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you can ask us to consider your complaint at stage 2.

Stage 2: Investigation

We will look at your complaint at this stage if you are not happy with our response at stage 1. We also look at some complaints at this stage, if we discuss and agree with you that an in-depth investigation is needed.

We will acknowledge your complaint within three working days. 

We will confirm the issues of complaint to be investigated and what you want to achieve.

We will investigate the complaint and give you our decision as soon as possible. This will be after no more than 20 working days unless there is clearly a good reason for needing more time.

Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman (NIPSO)

After receiving our final decision on your complaint, if you remain dissatisfied with our decision or the way we have handled your complaint, you can ask NIPSO to consider it. NIPSO will assess whether there is evidence of service failure or bad administration not identified by us which needs more investigation. NIPSO will signpost you to alternative independent reviewers and provide contact details (where relevant).

Equality and Good Relations

We are committed to making sure that all services promote equality of opportunity and good relations. All complaints, comments and compliments we get, by whatever means, are taken seriously and we will record and act on these following our complaints procedure.

Privacy notice

What we do with your information

Belfast City Council is the data controller under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) for the personal data it gathers for the purposes of managing complaints, comments and compliments.

The council’s lawful basis for processing personal data for this purpose is for the performance a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority. The council is a public service provider under the Northern Ireland Ombudsman’s Jurisdiction (Public Services Ombudsman Act (Northern Ireland) 2016 (the 2016 Act) and values your involvement in seeking continuous service improvement. We use your feedback, whether positive or negative to monitor and improve our service for the benefit of all our customers.

You have the right to object to processing undertaken for the performance a task carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority at any time. This is not an absolute right and only applies in certain circumstances.

Sharing your information with others

Your personal data may be shared internally in the council with staff who are involved in providing this service and where necessary, between internal departments with the purpose of supporting an effective delivery of service. To carry out an investigation into the complaint, there may be instances when the council may be required to disclose your identity to the subject of the complaint, either directly or indirectly.

Your personal data may also be shared with the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman if you decide to escalate your complaint to the Ombudsman’s office for further investigation.

Your personal data will not be disclosed to any other organisation without your consent unless the law permits or places an obligation on the council to do so.  

International transfers

Your personal data is not transferred outside the United Kingdom.

How long we hold your information

Your personal data is held and stored by the council for a period of four years in a safe and secure manner and in compliance with data protection legislation and in line with the council’s Records Retention and Disposal Schedule.

Your rights

When your personal data is processed under the lawful basis of public task, the UK GDPR provides you with these rights in relation to the processing of your personal data:

  • right of access – You have the right to access and receive a copy of our personal data and other supplementary information, however, there are exemptions, which means you may not always receive all the information we process.
  • right to rectification – You have the right to have inaccurate personal data rectified or completed if incomplete.  
  • right to restrict processing – You can request the restriction or suppression of your personal data. This right is not absolute and only applies in certain circumstances.  
  • right to object – You have the right to object to processing we undertake as part of our public task. This is not absolute and only applies in certain circumstances.  
  • rights in relation to automated decision-making and profiling – You have the right, in certain circumstances, not to be subject to a decision based solely on automated processing, including profiling, which significantly affects you. You also have the right to understand the reasons behind decisions made by automated processing and the possible consequences of the decisions.

Further information on processing personal data

If you have any queries about the processing of your personal data, you can email [email protected] or call 028 9027 0270.

If you want to contact the our Data Protection Officer or have questions about this privacy notice, write to Belfast City Council, City Hall Belfast, BT1 5GS or email [email protected]. 

For more information on how Belfast City Council processes personal data, you can read our privacy statement.

If you are not satisfied with how the council processes your personal data, contact the council to make a complaint. If you are still not satisfied with the council’s response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Phone: 0303 123 1113
Email: [email protected]

Freedom of Information Act

We are committed to implementing the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA).

The Act needs us to:

  1. make information routinely available through a publication scheme, and
  2. respond to written requests for information.

It gives the public a right of access to information, unless we are told we can’t disclose it. We are committed to openness, as a transparent and accountable public authority.

Communicating the Complaints, Comments and Compliments Policy

We will clearly communicate the Complaints, Comments and Compliments Policy and it will be accessible to all our customers and stakeholders. We will provide leaflets at council facilities, offices and venues. Copies of information about the procedure will be made available in alternative formats when requested including Braille, text phone, other languages and interpretation services such as Big Word. We will make clear in all communications who the complainant can complain to and who will be responsible at each stage.

Annual complaints report April 2025 to March 2026

Updated in August 2026

Complaints management

The number of complaints recorded during the year equated to 3.21 complaints per 1,000 residents. This is based on 1,111 complaints and a population of 345,418 (as published in our Belfast Agenda Strategic Plan, 2024-2028). 

  • 1,003 complaints were recorded at stage 1.
  • 271 complaints were recorded at stage 2.
  • 163 complaints were escalated from stage 1 to stage 2, as requested by customers.
  • 108 complaints went directly to stage 2.

All complaints were successfully dealt with and final responses sent to customers. These complaints are closed.

There were six referrals to the NIPSO (Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman) by customers who remained unhappy with our stage 2 response.

Complaint extensions

  • 297 stage 1 complaints were extended in agreement with the complainant.
  • 53 stage 2 complaints were extended.

Reasons for complaints

The main reason for complaints was ‘Failure to provide a service’. This accounted for 7.5 out of every 10 complaints made.

The second most common reason for complaints was ‘Failure to achieve published service standards.'

The third most common reason for complaints was complaints about staff. 

Complaints about services

Complaints about waste collections and other related services (Resources and Fleet) accounted for 944 complaints. This is 2.73 complaints per 1,000 residents and accounts for 85 per cent of the total number of complaints.

  • Open Spaces and Street Scene had 142 complaints
  • Bereavement Services had 31 complaints
  • City Protection had 52 complaints, and
  • Belfast Zoo had 36 complaints.

Resolution of stage 1 complaints

  • 20 per cent of stage 1 complaints were resolved at the point of service or contact, providing customers with a fast-track solution to their issues.
  • 59 per cent were upheld.
  • 5 per cent were partially upheld.
  • 13 per cent were not upheld.
  • 64 per cent were closed within five working days.

For stage 1 complaints that weren’t extended, average time to close a complaint was 4.59 working days. Where an extension was agreed, average time to close a complaint was 8.66 working days

Resolution of stage 2 complaints

  • 40 per cent of stage 2 complaints were upheld.
  • 13 per cent were partially upheld.
  • 36 per cent were not upheld.
  • 76 per cent of Stage 2 complaints were closed within 20 working days.
  • 0.54 per cent of complaints were referred to the Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman, following our final stage 2 response.

Average time to close stage 2 complaints was 16.77 days. Where an extension was agreed, average time to close a stage 2 complaint was 34.03 working days.

Where an extension had been agreed with the complainant, 92 per cent of stage 2 complaints were closed within the agreed timeline.

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