Complaints against a public body

If you feel that a public body has failed to provide a service, or delivered a service badly, or the quality of service is poor you should first complain to that organisation. 

Making a formal complaint to the SPSO

The SPSO is the final stage for complaints about most public services in Scotland. They will only consider complaints after you have completed the formal procedure of the organisation concerned. This gives the organisation a chance to respond and put things right. If you are unsure whether you have done this, you should check with the organisation.

Contact details for the SPSO are as follows:

• Freephone advice line: 0800 377 7330
• By post: FREEPOST SPSO
• In person: SPSO, Bridgeside House, 99 McDonald Road, Edinburgh, EH7 4NS
• Online: contact form

Decision and investigation reports

When the SPSO investigate a complaint, they usually report their findings and conclusions in what they call a decision letter. These findings are published as decision reports - reports for North Lanarkshire Council are available to download from the SPSO website. 

In some cases of public interest, the SPSO present the full report of the investigation before the Scottish Parliament and publish it online. These findings are published as investigation reports.

Reports for North Lanarkshire Council are available to download from the SPSO website.