Corporate complaints process and policy

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Our complaints policy has recently been updated

Please note that, following updated guidance from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, our Complaint Handling Policy has recently been updated. These changes come into effect from 1 January 2026. For the latest information on how we handle complaints please see our new Complaint Handling Policy.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman provides Local Authorities with the Complaint Handling Code which informs our complaints process. The Corporate Complaints Team handle any complaints outside of Children's Services and Adult Social Care and Health.

Before you submit a complaint

We may not handle all feedback we receive as a complaint. If something has gone wrong with the service you've received, please first contact the team delivering the service and give them your feedback. They must be given the opportunity to put things right. This is the quickest way to sort out many issues. If you haven’t done this, please contact them and explain:

what has gone wrong
how you’d like it to be fixed
what you need and how they can help you

You have spoken to the team providing the service and still have concerns

If the service is not able to resolve your concerns you can make a complaint. Please ensure you tell us:

what happened and when
how you would like us to fix it.

After you’ve made your complaint

1. We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days.

2. We will send you a response within 10 working days of acknowledging your complaint (stage 1). Sometimes it can take longer to resolve issues. If that happens, we’ll explain why and how long it is likely to take to complete our investigation.

3. If you’re not happy with our initial investigation, you can reply and let us know which issues have not been addressed in the response. We will acknowledge this within five working days.

4. A different complaint handler will review the response and look into the points you tell us have not been addressed. We will send you a response within 20 working days of acknowledging your complaint (stage 2). Sometimes it can take longer to resolve issues. If that happens, we’ll explain why and how long it is likely to take to complete our investigation.

Find out more about how to make a complaint, or read more about the process in our Complaint Handling Policy.

If you remain unhappy following the outcome of your complaint you can contact the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and ask them to investigate our response.

If your complaint is about an apprenticeship programme that is being delivered directly by ESCC via the in-house Apprenticeship and Qualifications Team (AQT), please read the ESCC AQT complaints policy.

Impartial help with making complaints

Citizens Advice offers an impartial service and can advise you if you need any help with making a complaint against us. To find out more, please contact your local Citizens Advice.