Compliments, comments and complaints

 

We want to hear from you

At Tower Hamlets Homes, we want to give you the best possible service. It's only by listening to your views that we can find out what we're doing well and what needs to improve.

We always want to improve our services and you can expect us to act on what you tell us.

You can give us a compliment or make a comment, or complaint about Tower Hamlets Homes:

• by phone   020 7364 3877
• by email    complaints@towerhamletshomes.org.uk
• in writing (by letter or by returning a complaints form) Jack Dash House, 2 Lawn House Close, Marsh Wall, London E14 9YQ 

If you don't want to phone or email we can send you a complaints form or you can pick one up from your Local Service Centre and One Stop Shop or at any council office

Our complaints system doesn't replace any formal appeals processes, like appeals about the result of a housing medical assessment or a probationary tenancy review.

If you want to give us a compliment….

We're always delighted to hear that our staff are doing a great job.

We make sure they know when someone is pleased, as this encourages them to do even better.

You can expect us to acknowledge your compliment within two working days.

 

If you want to make a comment…

If you have an idea for improving our services, or if you have any general comments about the way we do things, we want to hear from you.

You can expect us to let you know we’ve received your comment and if it requires a response to tell you who's dealing with it within two working days.

You can expect us to give you with a full response within 10 working days. If we can’t do this, you can expect us to  tell you why.

We have a staff recognition scheme, where you can put forward staff for an award. The forms for doing this are available in Local Service Centres and can be downloaded from this site

'Excellence service' award

As a new organisation we believe that the recognition of outstanding practice in a day-to-day work, and hard work of those who deliver ‘excellent service’ for the good of our community and the organisation, is very important.That’s why, together with the Tower Hamlets Council’s organisational development team, we have decided to introduce the very first and very own Tower Hamlets Homes ‘Excellent Service’ Award. Read more

 

If you want to make a complaint….

We aim to give the best possible service but we know that sometimes things can go wrong. We welcome complaints, as they help us learn and improve our services.

If you’re not happy with a service you've received or the way we have dealt with you, please tell us so that we can try to put it right.

As a first step, please talk to someone at the office that dealt with you originally. Tell them what the problem is, why you're unhappy and what you want want us to do, and you can expect them to do their best to sort it out.

Very often this will sort the problem out without needing to fill in forms or put your complaint in writing.

But if you're not happy with the response you can make a formal complaint. Our complaints system has three easy to follow stages:

 

Stage 1 - officer investigation

If we haven't been able to sort your problem out and you make a complaint you can expect us to:

• acknowledge your complaint within two working days.
• ask an investigating officer to look into your complaint and send you a reply within 10 working days
  

Stage 2 - manager investigation

If you're not happy with the answer you received at stage 1, you can ask for a management investigation and you can expect us to:

• send you an acknowledgement within two working days of receiving your complaint and tell you who is looking into it.
• give you a full reply within 20 working days. If we can’t finish our investigation in time, we will let you know and tell you why.

The vast majority of complaints are sorted out by stages 1 or 2 but if you’re still not happy with our solution you can take your complaint further and ask for an independent review.

 

Stage 3 - independent review

If you're still not happy with our response at stage 2, you can ask the council’s Chief Executive to independently review your complaint.

Just let the council’s Corporate Complaints Team know that you want to do this and why. You can contact them at:

 

Corporate Complaints Team
Tower Hamlets Town Hall
Mulberry Place
5 Clove Crescent
London E 14 2BG

Tel (English/ Sylheti): 020 7364 4161
Fax: 020 7364 4300
Minicom: 020 7364 4853

Email: complaints@towerhamlets.gov.uk

 

You can expect the Chief Executive to independently review Tower Hamlets Homes' decisions and decide if they were fair and reasonable.

The council will aim to deal with your complaint within 20 working days. If they can’t complete it on time, they will tell you why.

 

Taking your complaint further...

If you still feel we have treated you unfairly, you can complain to the Local Government Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman is an independent watchdog who makes sure that all councils act fairly and follow their own policies and procedures.

The Ombudsman will usually only consider your complaint after the Chief Executive’s independent review at stage 3 or if we have not fully replied to your written complaint within 12 weeks.

 

You can contact the Local Government Ombudsman at:

Local Government Ombudsman Advice Team
PO Box 4771
Coventry CV4 0EH

Telephone: 0845 602 1983 , Mon-Fri 8.30am to 5pm
Email: mailto:ask@lgo.org.uk
Text: 0762 4804323
Web: http://www.lgo.org.uk/

 

Freedom of information

Under the Freedom of Information Act, you can see information we hold, with certain exceptions.

If you have made a request and don't think you're getting the information you're entitled to, you can make a complaint under our complaints procedure. If you're still not happy after the Chief Executive's review, the Information Commissioner may be able to help.

 

You can contact the Information Commissioner at:

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

Tel: 01625 545 700
Fax: 01625 524 510
Email: mail@ico.gsi.gov.uk
Web: http://www.ico.gov.uk/

 

Our commitment to equal opportunities

Treating people fairly is at the heart of everything we do, and we're committed to giving our residents the best possible service. If you think we have treated you unfairly for any reason, please tell us.

There are other organisations you can also contact. If you think you have been discriminated against because of your age, belief, background, disability, gender, race, sexual orientation you can contact:

 

Equality and Human Rights Commission
3 More London
Riverside Tooley Street
London SE1 2RG

Tel: 020 3117 0235 (non helpline calls only)
Helpline: 0845 604 6610
Fax: 020 7407 7557

Email: info@equalityhumanrights.com
Web: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/en/Pages/default.aspx

 

Councillors and MPs

Your councillors and Members of Parliament (MPs) (links to Tower Hamlets council's website) are also here to help. You can contact them if you have a local issue that you want to bring to their attention.

Their names and addresses are available from your local library, by calling the council on 020 7364 3237, or by visiting the council's website.

 

Further information

If you would like a copy of this in large print or audio tape, CD or Braille, please contact the Communications Team on 020 7364 7035 or email us: communications@towerhamletshomes.org.uk.

 

If you would like a copy of this information, download our Compliments,comments and complaints fact sheet here (pdf 534kb).