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The Council is dedicated to providing high quality services to its users, therefore we welcome your feedback and/or complaints as it helps us to review and improve our services.

How to Complain

If you feel dissatisfied with a service you have received from the Council, you can obtain further information on ‘What a Complaint is’ and ‘Who Can Complain’ by reading the attached Social Services Compliments, Comments & Complaints Leaflet or reading the Welsh Government Guidelines.  This can be found in the further information links section.

If after reading the information you still feel unsure or you would like to discuss your concerns please contact the complaints officer.

If you decide that you would like to raise a complaint about one of our services, we will try and resolve your concerns quickly and efficiently through the following stages:  

Stage 1: Local Resolution.  You will be offered the opportunity to discuss your concerns either face to face or by telephone with a senior officer within our department.  If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of the Stage 1 complaint or if the seriousness of the complaint means that it is inappropriate to deal with it at Stage 1, then your complaint will be investigated under Stage 2.

Stage 2: Formal Investigation.  The complaint will be investigated by an independent Investigator.  If your concerns have not been resolved by the Council within the two stage process, you will have the opportunity to raise your complaint with the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales.

Further information about the stages and Ombudsman can be found below.

Acknowledgement of a Complaint

The Complaints Officer will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 2 working days of date of receipt.

Stage 1 Complaint: Local Resolution

Once your complaint has been acknowledged, the Council has 10 working days to contact you to try and resolve your complaint.  We will then provide you with a written response within a further 5 working days from the date of resolution.

Stage 2 Complaint: Formal Investigation

The Complaints Officer will provide you with advice and support to determine if/when the complaint should move to a formal investigation stage. 

Once the content of your complaint has been agreed (by you and the investigator) this will become the ‘start date’ of the investigation. The investigation will be completed and you will be provided with a written response within 25 days from the ‘start date’. If, due to exceptional circumstances, a response is not possible within this timescale we will write to you to tell you why there is a delay and when the response will be issued.

Public Services Ombudsman for Wales

The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales is independent of all government bodies and can look into complaints where the complainant remains dissatisfied. Visit  for more information.

Equality and Human Rights Casebook 2022 -2023

Llais – Your voice in Health and Social Care

is an independent statutory body, set up by the Welsh Government to give the people of Wales much more say in the planning and delivery of their health and social care services – locally, regionally and nationally. Llais believe in a healthier Wales, where people get the health services they need in a way that works best for them.

If you have a concern regarding health and social care services you can visit here for more information:

Please click here to view Llais Newsletter.

How to report a compliment?

Compliments can be reported for a service or a member of staff. If you want to report a compliment please complete the Social Services Compliments Form online.

Alternatively, you can contact the Council in the following ways:

You can make a compliment via info@blaenau-gwent.gov.uk