Essential maintenance

Due to essential maintenance some of our systems may not be available for a period of time, including the website from 5pm on Friday 24 January 2025 to Monday morning 27 January 2025. We apologise for any inconvenience.

Making a complaint

We aim to provide high quality services for over 187,000 residents and millions of visitors. But things can go wrong, and if they do, we like to know so that we can put them right and learn from them.

You’ll find a number of issues that can easily be reported online on our Report something to us page. These include issues with bin collections, street care and maintenance, noise nuisance and other matters.

However, if your complaint is about our standard of service, lack of action, the attitude or behaviour of staff or agents, or about council policy, and you wish to make a formal complaint, we have a two-stage process.

Stage one

Provide details of your complaint and we will investigate the issue and respond to you within 10 working days. Most issues are easily resolved at this stage.

Make a complaint online

Or phone us on 01256 844844, Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm

Write to us at Civic Offices, London Road, Basingstoke RG21 4AH

When making your complaint please tell us as much as you can about your problem, including:

  • what went wrong
  • when it happened
  • who you dealt with
  • how you would like the matter resolved

Please also include full contact details - name, address, telephone, email.

Stage two

If you are not satisfied with the response provided you can ask for the Head of Service to investigate the matter and they will respond to your complaint within 10 working days.

Taking your complaint further

If you are not satisfied with the outcome following this process you can ask the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman to review your complaint. This is an independent service and free of charge.

Visit the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman website
Telephone: 0300 061 0614
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm (except public holidays)

Services dealt with differently

There are other issues specific to services we provide and may require action to address. These are handled by specific teams and include:

Missed bins or glass boxes

Before reporting a missed bin collection, have you checked your bin collection date and was your bin placed on the edge of your property by 7am on your collection day? If you still feel your bin was missed, please report it using our missed bin online form.

Food complaint

We will investigate if you buy food from a shop or have a meal at a restaurant and it contains something it shouldn't, for example a hair or a piece of plastic or if you are concerned about hygiene standards in a food business. Find out how to complain about a food business.

Noise nuisance

We have powers to deal with statutory noise nuisances. To enable us to act, the noise must be coming from private land or property, or be generated by vehicles, machinery or equipment in the street. Find out how to make a noise complaint.

High hedges

The correct hedge can be an ideal garden boundary and helps to bring new wildlife in to your garden. The wrong hedge can cause problems such as subsidence and loss of light. We will only get involved after you have tried to find a solution, evidence of this will need to be in your application. Find out more on issues with high hedges.

Services licensed by the council

We investigate complaints about licensed services as part of our public safety and animal welfare role. Some complaints will lead to formal action being taken by the council in the courts. You must be prepared to give evidence in court to support an investigation if it leads to formal action. Find out how to make a complaint about a licensed service.

Taxi or private hire, vehicle driver or operator complaint

If you believe there has been an impact on public safety or a breach of the licensing requirements, we will investigate a taxi or private hire driver, vehicle or operator. Comment about hackney carriage and private hire services.

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