You can use this service to make a formal complaint to the City of Lincoln Council
What is a complaint?
A complaint is an expression of dissatisfaction about the standard of service we have provided, actions we have taken, or decisions we have made.
However, not all issues raised with the Council will be treated as a formal complaint.
In many cases, your enquiry may be a service request, where you are asking us to:
- provide a service
- resolve a problem for the first time
- report an issue that we are not yet aware of
Examples of service requests include:
- reporting missed bins
- reporting litter or fly-tipping
- reporting noise or neighbour nuisance
- requesting a repair or inspection
- reporting anti-social behaviour
These types of issues are usually resolved more quickly through our service teams and do not require the formal complaints process.
Reporting a service issue
To help us resolve issues as quickly as possible, we encourage you to report common issues using our Report it service, where you will find the relevant online report forms.
Before you start
Any complaints received through this form are subject to our formal complaints' procedure. The following advice comes from the Information Commissioner’s Office, the regulator for FOIA and EIR in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
AI tools can be helpful, but they can also introduce errors or create overly complex requests that increase the burden on public bodies and cost to the taxpayer.
When using AI to help draft an information request, please make sure the final wording has been checked and reflects your actual information needs.
Before you submit a request or secondary correspondence, please check that:
You are only asking for the information you are genuinely looking for.
AI tools sometimes generate broad or excessive wording that goes beyond the information you actually want or need;
The request is clear, concise and focused.
Short, straightforward requests are easier for us to process and usually lead to quicker, more accurate responses;
There are no obvious factual inaccuracies.
AI can misrepresent legislation or misstate what organisations do. Please review the text of your request carefully and don’t assume AI is right. If it has referred to something you don’t understand, check what it is; and
The tone is appropriate.
AI-generated content can sometimes sound abrupt, or otherwise inappropriate. Please check the tone before sending.
Why does this matter?
We are seeing an increase in requests and secondary correspondence that appear to have been drafted by generative AI. These can require additional clarification because of inaccuracies or unnecessary complexity. This creates delays for both requesters and our teams.
Need guidance?
You can find advice on making effective information requests on the Information Commissioner’s Office website.
To make a complaint you will need:
- The directorate for the department you are complaining about
You can check online if you are not sure. - Details of your complaint including times and dates if necessary