Complaints procedure

We will take all complaints we receive very seriously.

What we can help with

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) defines a complaint as an expression of dissatisfaction with the service provided by MHCLG as a department. This is not the same as general correspondence from members of Parliament, the public expressing disagreement with a policy, or requests under the Freedom of Information Act.

You can use this service to raise a complaint with MHCLG if:

  • you are unhappy with the way we responded to an enquiry or the time that we took to respond (or we did not respond)
  • you feel we have not followed a formal process or the law when dealing with a complaint
  • you feel that we have taken incorrect action or failed to take action or investigate
  • you feel that we made inaccurate or misleading statements
  • you feel like our consultation or liaison was inadequate
  • you have received rude or offensive remarks from someone within the department

We do not cover:

We also do not cover actions by:

How to complain to us

All complaints should be sent to us using our online contact form. We have a 2 stage process.

Stage 1

This is the first opportunity for the department to address the issue, and the majority of complaints are resolved at this stage. Please use our online contact form to provide as much detail as possible, including:

  • the nature of the complaint
  • the names of any MHCLG staff concerned
  • what (if anything) you have done so far
  • what you would like us to do to sort things out

We aim to respond to your complaint within 20 working days.

Stage 2

If you are not satisfied with the stage 1 response, you can use our online contact form to ask the departmental complaints officer to investigate.

The complaints officer is independent from other parts of the department and will consider the matter. Please include our reference number and state that you are making a stage 2 complaint. The stage 2 response is normally the department’s final response, and we will aim to respond within 20 working days.

Please use the ‘start now’ button to submit your complaint.

Start now

Review by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

If you are still dissatisfied after following stages 1 and 2 of our complaints procedure, you can ask your MP to take your complaint to the independent Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO). The Ombudsman can carry out independent investigations into the handling of complaints by government departments, agencies and some public bodies.

You can write to your MP at:

House of Commons
Westminster
London
SW1A 0AA

You can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman at:

PHSO
Citygate
Mosley Street
Manchester
M2 3HQ

Helpline: 0345 015 4033,
open Monday to Thursday 8.30am to 5.00pm, Friday 8.30am to 12pm

Email: phso.enquiries@ombudsman.org.uk

Website: https://www.ombudsman.org.uk

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