Complaints and feedback

Make a complaint online

You can also email us your complaint at complaints@southwark.gov.uk or call the complaints team on 020 7525 0042.

Read our complaints policy (PDF, 321 KB) and complaint handling procedure (PDF, 598KB).

Your initial complaint must be made to the service that you're unhappy with.

We hope you will be satisfied with our response to your initial complaint. However, if you're still unhappy, you can ask to escalate the matter.

Escalate a complaint

Escalate your complaint

To have your complaint reviewed you'll need to summarise why you are unhappy with our initial response.

We'll review the complaint and our initial response. If we find we are not at fault, your complaint will not progress.

If you don't want to use our online escalation form, you can also ask us to review your complaint by:

• calling 0207 525 0042
• or writing to us at Customer Resolution Team, PO BOX 64529, London, SE1P 5LX

If there is a delay in reviewing your complaint, we'll let you know.

This is the final stage of our internal complaints procedure.

Read our habitual contact policy (PDF, 92KB). Email complaints@southwark.gov.uk for a copy of our compensation policy.

Taking matters further

If you're unhappy with the way we've handled your complaint, contact the Local Government Ombudsman or the Housing Ombudsman.

We may also refer the complaint to an ombudsman ourselves.

The Housing Ombudsman handles complaints about local authorities as landlords. Read our self assessment for the Housing Ombudsman (PDF, 584KB).

The Local Government Ombudsman investigates complaints about most other local authority services. 

These are free, independent services that investigate complaints against councils.

You can complain to the ombudsman at any time. But, they will only investigate if you've gone through our complaints procedure.

Read our corporate complaints annual reports

2024 to 2025

Corporate complaints annual report, 2024 to 2025

Comment from Councillor Cryan, Cabinet Member Equalities, Democracy and Finance:

"This year’s report highlights our unwavering dedication to service improvement, transparency, and accountability. It encompasses key insights into complaint trends, performance outcomes, and the proactive measures we are implementing to enhance the customer experience across all areas. The report reflects a year marked by both challenges and progress, capturing our performance, learnings, and commitment to continuous improvement.

 

"Notably, we have achieved a 2.3% reduction in total complaints received compared to the 2023 to 2024 period. The report provides a detailed analysis of these trends and our service responsiveness. We continue to strive for excellence by aligning with the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s complaint handling code, including our move to a 10-working-day response standard.

 

"There is also a renewed focus on customer experience, with plans to refresh our approach in 2025 to 2026 to ensure more consistent and accessible service delivery."

2023 to 2024

Corporate complaints annual report, 2023 to 2024

Comment from Councillor Cryan, Cabinet Member Equalities, Democracy and Finance:

"As part of our commitment to transparency and continuous improvement, I have reviewed the key findings from the 2023 to 2024 annual report. There are a number of key challenges identified with high volumes particularly around Housing. We have seen declining response times extending resolution times and a significant rise in Housing Ombudsman findings.

 

"As a council we are committed to making every resident voice count. We have established a housing complaints team with targeted training for all housing issues, established monthly cross-departmental forums and will be publishing learning logs, introducing feedback loops to improve satisfaction.

 

"These actions are designed to help us deliver more responsive, accountable, and resident-focused services."