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Feedback and complaints


Thank you for your feedback!

Your input helps us improve our services. Here's how you can reach out:

  1. Contact us directly
    The best way to resolve issues is to contact the service directly. Check any letters, emails, or our website for contact details.
  2. Make a complaint
    If you're still unhappy, please file a complaint so we can investigate further.

Common tasks which are not complaints

How to complain

Use the appropriate process for faster resolution:

For all other complaints, comments and compliments, including those that cover more than one area, the quickest and easiest way is to use our complaint form below:

Should your feedback cover more than one area / service please select Multi Service Enquiry from the list of topics that will be provided on the form.

Feedback and complaint form

If you cannot use the feedback and complaint form, you can submit your feedback using the details below. 

 
Here is some extra guidance from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO):

Be clear and brief


•    Focus on explaining the following points:
  o    What has gone wrong
  o    How this has impacted you or other people
  o    What you want the organisation to do to put things right
•    Cover all the relevant points but be as brief as you can. Avoid writing long letters or emails – if you struggle to write briefly there are online tools such as AI that can help summarise your complaint for you.
•    Make it easy to read by using numbered lists and headings to highlight the important issues.
•    Give your contact telephone and email details, as well as your address. Then, if the person dealing with the complaint needs more information, they can contact you and ask. 


Providing evidence


•    You do not need to provide evidence to support your complaint. The organisation should have all the relevant information on its records. If the organisation cannot find information on its records it should ask you for any copies you have. Keep notes of any telephone calls about the complaint, including the name of the person you spoke to. This may be helpful later.
Check it through
•    Get family or friends to read your complaint before you send it – if they can’t understand it then the person you send it to may struggle too.
Be clear about what you want
•    Explain clearly what you hope to achieve by complaining. But be realistic. Your request needs to be fair and in proportion to the problems you have had.


Be polite


•    Whether writing or speaking to someone, try to remain polite and calm.
•    Be assertive, not aggressive. Your experience of making a complaint is likely to be more productive if you calmly discuss the issues with the complaint officer. Acting aggressively makes the complaint process more difficult for everyone and doesn’t lead to a better outcome..
Respond appropriately
•    Respond appropriately, if you are asked to. Read any letters and documents that are sent to you. If you cannot reply within time given, tell the organisation why and ask for more time.


Be patient


•    It might take some time for your complaint to be looked at, particularly if you have a complex complaint.
•    We would expect the organisation to keep in touch when investigating your complaint. However, there are some things you can do if your complaint seems to be stuck in the process, or you have not had an update in a while:
  o    Ask to the organisation to confirm it is looking at your complaint.
  o    Ask for an update and estimated date of response.
  o    Ask what stage your complaint is at in the complaint process and what steps you need to take if you are still unhappy.

•    Don’t be afraid to chase politely if nothing seems to be happening to progress your complaint.  


Watch the LGSCO's video on how to complain about councils on Vimeo. 

What if I am still unhappy?

If you are unhappy with how we have dealt with your complaint, you can complain to an Ombudsman. We will work with these bodies and provide everything that is requested from them to help with their investigations.

Further information

Complaints about Cornwall Council Building Control should initially be made through our own complaints system above. 

All Building Control providers and Registered Building Inspectors are overseen by the Building Safety Regulator (BSR).

More information regarding complaints about any Building Control provider including;

  • Local Authorities
  • Registered Building Control Approvers
  • or any Registered Building Inspector

is provided on the gov.uk website.

Contact the Building Safety Regulator  Find out more about how we handle complaints, what you can expect from us and our policy by reading the documents below.

Last Updated:

23/03/2026

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