Trimpley Village Hall
Complaints Policy and Procedure
19th Oct 2023
1) Our Aim
The Trimpley Village Hall Committee is committed to providing a facility for everyone in the local community
and Parish to socialise, use and enjoy. We aim to operate in an open and accountable way that builds trust
and respect. One of the ways in which we can continue to improve is by listening and responding to the
views of our community and members, in particular responding positively to complaints, and by putting
mistakes right.
Therefore, we aim to ensure that:
• Making a compliment or complaint is as easy as possible.
• We welcome compliments, feedback, and suggestions.
• We treat a complaint as a clear expression of dissatisfaction with our facility or Management team
which calls for a speedy response.
• We deal with it promptly, politely and, when appropriate, confidentially.
• We respond in the right way – for example, with an explanation, or an apology where we have got
things wrong, or information on any action taken etc.
• We learn from complaints, use them to improve what we do and intend to review annually our
complaints policy and procedures.
We recognise that many concerns will be raised informally and dealt with quickly.
Our aims are to:
• Resolve informal concerns quickly.
• Keep matters low-key.
• Enable mediation between the complainant and the individual to whom the complaint has been
referred.
This policy ensures that we welcome compliments and provide guidelines for dealing with complaints from
members concerning the Hall, Management team or facilities.
2) Definitions
A Compliment is an expression of satisfaction about the standard of service we provide.
A Complaint is defined as any expression of dissatisfaction; however, it is expressed. This would include
complaints expressed face to face, via a phone call, in writing, via email or any other method.
3) Complaints
The formal complaints procedure is intended to ensure that all complaints are handled fairly, consistently,
and wherever possible resolved to the complainant’s satisfaction.
4) Responsibilities
The Trimpley Village Hall Committee will be responsible to:
• Acknowledge the formal complaint in writing.
• Respond within a stated period.
• Deal reasonably and sensitively with the complaint.
• Act where appropriate.
A complainant’s responsibility is to:
• Bring their complaint, in writing, to The Secretary, Trimpley Village Hall, School Lane, Trimpley,
Bewdley DY12 1NZ or
email info@trimpleyvillagehall.org marked for the attention of the Chairman within 4 weeks of
the issue arising.
• Raise concerns promptly and directly with a member of the Committee of Trimpley Village Hall.
• Explain the problem as clearly and as fully as possible, including any action taken to date.
• Allow the Chairman or Secretary of Trimpley Village Hall a reasonable time to deal with the matter.
• Recognise that some circumstances may be beyond Trimpley Village Hall’s control.
5) Confidentiality:
Except in exceptional circumstances, every attempt will be made to ensure that both the complainant and
those involved maintain confidentiality. However, the circumstances giving rise to the complaint may be
such that it may not be possible to maintain confidentiality (with each complaint judged on its own merit).
Should this be the case, the situation will be explained to the complainant.
6) Complaints Procedure:
Written records of every complaint received must be made by the Secretary of Trimpley Village Hall and at
each stage of the procedure.
Stage 1
In the first instance, Committee members must establish the seriousness of the complaint. Should the
complaint be deemed to be very serious and concern regular users of the Hall, then the Committee will
meet to discuss and agree a course of action with the minimum delay. The person(s) being complained
about will be notified in writing concerning the nature of the complaint and what course of action the
Committee intends to take. The person(s) complained about will be given 7/10 working days from the date
of that letter to respond. The letter from the Committee will also give them the opportunity to attend a
meeting with a minimum of 3 Committee members at the earliest convenience. This meeting should be
used by the person(s) complained about to take the opportunity to explain their view or situation arising to
the nature of the complaint. The Committee members at that meeting will then decide what action they
wish to take and advise at the close of the meeting.
Should the matter be deemed not to be of a serious nature, then it is hoped it could be resolved in an
informal manner. The Committee can decide on how best to deal with the complaint informally. However,
the Committee should aim to meet with the complainant and the person(s) complained about and attempt
to mediate between them. This would hopefully prevent the need for the matter to be escalated to a formal
procedure.
Stage 2
If the complaint cannot be resolved informally, the member of the public /person(s) complained about
should be advised that a formal complaint may be made, and the following procedure should be explained
to them.
a) A formal complaint must be made in writing; the attached form should be used.
b) In all cases, the complaint must be passed on to the Chairman. In the event of a complaint being about
the Chairman, then the complaint should be passed to the Vice Chairman or Secretary.
c) The Secretary, Vice Chairman or Chairman, depending on the nature of the complaint, must
acknowledge the complaint in writing within 7/10 working days of receiving it.
d) One of the above will investigate the complaint. Any conclusions reached should be discussed with the
Committee at the earliest possible convenience and then with the person or persons involved.
e) The person making the complaint will receive a response based on the investigation within 6 weeks of
the complaint being received. This is to allow time for the Committee to address the matter at their next
meeting. If this is not possible then a letter must be sent by the Secretary or Chairman detailing why.
Stage 3
The Secretary or Chairman of Trimpley Village Hall will write to the complainant to advise or confirm the
decision made by the Committee. The decision made by the Committee will be final.
Trimpley Village Hall
COMPLAINTS FORM
You may use this form to make a complaint about The Trimpley Village Hall or any person or persons that
frequent the Hall or are members of the Committee. You may also use it if you wish to complain about the
general service or facilities provided.
We would like you to return this form as soon as possible and within 4 weeks of the issue arising.
Your Name …………………………………………………………………………..
Address ……………………………………………………………………………
…………………………………………………………………………..
Telephone …………………………………………………………………………..
Date of incident Approximate time of incident
Nature of Complaint
What action would you like to be taken?
What times are convenient for you to have an appointment to discuss this?