Some time ago many of us sent complaints to the Isle of Wight Council. If you made a complaint can you please let us know what happened.
We understand that many complainants never received a reply or were fobbed off with responses like "it was informal consultation and so you can't complain".
Some of us received a standard reply which in most cases will not have been adequate and may itself be ground for complaint to the LGO
We need to know about any complaints made and what response you got. Complaints not resolved within 12 weeks can be referred to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) but they may take the case on sooner. We are keen to ensure that all complaints make it that far.
The LGO says the following about complaints:
If you have a complaint, the first thing to do is complain to the council. You can find out how to complain from the council, or you can ask a councillor to help. In most cases, the council must have a chance to sort out the complaint before we can consider it.
If you are not satisfied with the council’s answer, or if it does not give you an answer within a reasonable time, you can complain to us.We think up to 12 weeks is a reasonable time for the council to investigate your complaint and reply to you.
But where the complaint is urgent, for example, because it is about a school place for next term or because you are particularly at risk, we may be able to deal with it straight away. You should normally complain to us within 12 months of when you first knew about the problem you are complaining about. If you leave it any later, we may not be able to help. (source LGO how to complain ) Note: LGO are appointed by Her Majesty the Queen. They have the same powers as the High Court to obtain information and documents. They do not have to investigate every complaint received, even if they have the power to do so. If they think you have been very little affected then they may decide not to consider your complaint. They do not charge for using the service. When they find that a council has done something wrong, they will recommend how it should put it right. Councils are not compelled to do what the LGO recommend but they almost always do.
We believe that complaints should, where possible, be about procedure and fairness. Please let SNT know as soon as possible about your complaints.
If you have not yet complained then you should. The main reasons to complain are that the council broke the government guidelines on consultation by failing to provide sufficient information about their proposals. That they failed to consult everyone that they had a duty to consult like shop keepers and other in the community where a school is scheduled to close. That they hid behind the idea that the period up to the 19th March when the decision to go 2 tier was made, was informal and they didn't have to consult fairly. You can probably think of many other things. DON'T FORGET TO MAKE A COPY OF YOUR COMPLAINT.