Council complaint letter template
Councils run formal complaint procedures with stages and deadlines. A written complaint starts stage one properly and creates the record you will need if it has to be escalated.
Free to use and edit. You pay only if you have it printed and posted.
The template
Dear Sir or Madam, Formal complaint — [service or department], reference [reference] I wish to make a formal complaint under the council's complaints procedure. Please treat this as a stage one complaint. [Set out what happened, in order, with dates. Name the department and anyone you dealt with.] I have already [describe any earlier contact, with dates and reference numbers]. The effect of this has been [describe the impact on you]. I would like the council to [state the outcome you want: a decision reviewed, a service delivered, a charge cancelled, an apology]. Please acknowledge this complaint and tell me who is handling it. I understand that if I remain dissatisfied after the council's procedure is exhausted, I may refer the matter to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman. Yours faithfully, [Your name] [Your address] [Council tax or case reference]
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