Last reviewed: June 2026 · For use in England & Wales · eLitigant is a Community Interest Company (No. 16566612), not a law firm. Always check the current official form on GOV.UK before you file, and sign the statement of truth yourself.
In short
If a council service, decision or delay has caused you a problem, complain to the council first using its formal complaints procedure (usually a written Stage 1, then Stage 2). If you are still unhappy after exhausting it, or the council does not reply within 12 weeks, you can ask the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman to investigate, normally within 12 months of the problem. eLitigant’s Chris drafts this for you — you check, sign and send.
What a formal council complaint is
A formal complaint to a local authority is a written statement that a council service, decision, action or delay has gone wrong and has caused you a problem. Every council in England must run its own complaints procedure, and you must use it before anyone else will look at your case. A complaint is different from a routine service request (such as reporting a missed bin) and different from a statutory appeal (such as a planning or school-admission appeal, or a council tax tribunal), which follow their own separate routes.
If the council’s own process does not put things right, you can ask the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) to investigate. The Ombudsman is a free, independent service set up under Part III of the Local Government Act 1974. It can look at whether you suffered injustice as a result of maladministration or service failure — for example unreasonable delay, failing to follow the council’s own policy, giving wrong information, or not making a decision properly. It does not act as a further “court of appeal” on the merits of a lawful decision the council was entitled to make.
When and why to complain
Common reasons people complain include: long delays in dealing with housing repairs or homelessness applications; poor handling of adult social care; problems with council tax, benefits administration or refuse collection; rudeness or failure to respond; or a decision made without following the proper process. The aim of a complaint is to get the council to acknowledge what went wrong, explain it, and put it right — which can mean an apology, a corrected decision, an action being completed, or a financial remedy for avoidable distress or expense.
Most councils operate a two-stage procedure. Stage 1 is handled by the relevant service team. If you remain dissatisfied, Stage 2 is a review by a more senior officer. Complaints about children’s social care and adult social care follow separate statutory procedures with their own timescales. Check your council’s website for the exact stages and deadlines, because they vary between authorities.
What to include in the letter
- Your name, address and any reference number (tenancy, council tax account, case ID).
- A clear heading stating it is a formal complaint and, if known, which stage you are using.
- The service or department involved and the dates of key events, set out in order.
- A factual, dated account of what happened and what went wrong — calm and specific, not abusive.
- The effect on you (the “injustice”): distress, time, money, missed services.
- What you want the council to do to put it right (the remedy you are seeking).
- A request for a written response within the council’s published timescale, and copies of any evidence (letters, emails, photos).
Keep a copy of everything and send it in a way you can prove (email, or post with proof of posting). Note the date you sent it so you can track the deadline.
Escalating to the Ombudsman
You can take a complaint to the LGSCO once you have been through all stages of the council’s procedure and are still dissatisfied. You can also go to the Ombudsman early if the council has not given a substantive reply within a reasonable time — generally treated as 12 weeks for most complaints (longer for some statutory social-care complaints). There is normally a 12-month time limit: the Ombudsman will usually not investigate matters more than 12 months after you first knew of the problem, though it has discretion to look at older matters in some cases.
The Ombudsman will not investigate where the issue is minor or caused no significant injustice, where you have a right of appeal to a tribunal or could reasonably go to court, or where court or tribunal proceedings are already underway. If it upholds your complaint it can recommend a remedy, but it cannot overturn a lawful council decision or impose fines like a court.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to complain to the council before going to the Ombudsman?
Yes. The Ombudsman expects you to give the council the chance to put things right first by completing its complaints procedure. The main exception is where the council has failed to respond within a reasonable period (commonly 12 weeks).
How long do I have to make a complaint?
The council’s own procedure may set its own time limits, so complain promptly. For the Ombudsman, the general rule is within 12 months of when you first became aware of the problem, subject to its discretion to consider older matters.
What if my complaint is about a planning, benefits or school decision I want overturned?
Those often have a dedicated appeal or tribunal route, which the Ombudsman normally expects you to use instead. The Ombudsman looks at how a decision was handled (the process), not at re-making a lawful decision. Check whether a statutory appeal applies before treating it as a complaint.
This page is information about the process, not legal advice. eLitigant CIC is not a law firm. We help you prepare your own documents, which you check, sign and send. For advice on your specific situation, consider a regulated adviser, Citizens Advice, or a solicitor.
eLitigant drafts it; you check, sign & send. Not a law firm; information, not advice.
See it done — what Chris drafts for you
A worked example, drafted to a professional standard from your details — ready for you to check, personalise and send. Fictional sample.
Formal Complaint — Stage 1
Re: Delay in completing housing repairs at 14 Marlowe Court, Riverside Road, BD7 2QH
Tenancy reference: HRA-2024-08812
I am writing to make a formal complaint about the council’s failure to repair a persistent leak and the resulting damp in my home, and about the lack of response to my requests for help.
On 3 February 2026 I reported water coming through the kitchen ceiling (job reference RPR-77140). A surveyor attended on 19 February 2026 and confirmed a leak from the flat above and rising damp to the kitchen wall, recording that the work was “urgent”. I was told the repair would be completed within 20 working days.
Despite chasing by telephone on 16 March, 1 April and 28 April 2026, and by email on 12 May 2026, the leak has not been fixed. The damp has now spread to my daughter’s bedroom, two kitchen cupboards have warped, and the room smells of mould. I have kept dated photographs, which I enclose.
The effect on my household has been significant. My daughter has asthma and her GP has advised that damp may be aggravating her symptoms. I have had to discard food spoiled by the leak and have spent many hours chasing this without a clear answer.
I believe the council has failed to carry out the repair within its own published timescale and has failed to keep me informed, contrary to its repairs policy. To put this right, I ask the council to: (1) complete the leak repair and associated damp works within 10 working days; (2) inspect my daughter’s bedroom; and (3) consider a goodwill payment for the avoidable distress and the food I had to replace.
Please treat this as a formal Stage 1 complaint and respond in writing within the timescale set out in your complaints procedure. If I do not receive a satisfactory response, I intend to escalate the matter to Stage 2 and, if necessary, to the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman.
Yours faithfully,
Amara Okonkwo
14 Marlowe Court, Riverside Road, BD7 2QH
amara.okonkwo@example.com — 07700 900145
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