Fife Council have introduced a revised complaint handling procedure from 1 April 2021. A published version of this procedure will be added shortly.
We will always tell you who is dealing with your complaint.
Our complaints procedure has two stages:
We aim to resolve complaints quickly and close to where we provided the service. This could mean an on-the-spot apology and explanation if something has clearly gone wrong, and immediate action to resolve the problem.
We will give you our decision at Stage 1 in five working days or less, unless there are exceptional circumstances.
If we can’t resolve your complaint at this stage, we will explain why and tell you what you can do next. We might suggest that you take your complaint to Stage 2. You may choose to do this immediately or sometime after you get our initial decision.
Stage 2 deals with two types of complaint: those that have not been resolved at Stage 1 and those that are complex and require detailed investigation.
When using Stage 2 we will:
If our investigation will take longer than 20 working days, we will tell you. We will agree revised time limits with you and keep you updated on progress.
After we have fully investigated, if you are still dissatisfied with our decision or the way we dealt with your complaint, you can ask the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) to look at it. There is no further level of appeal within the council.
The SPSO cannot normally look at:
You can contact the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman in the following ways:
In person: SPSO, Bridgeside House, 99 McDonald Road, Edinburgh. EH7 4NS
By post: Freepost SPSO
Freephone: 0800 377 7330
Online: www.spso.org.uk/contact-us