COMPLAINTS & DISPUTES POLICY

1. Nuffield Road Association is committed to providing support to all its members and we do our utmost to treat everyone fairly. When a problem arises or something goes wrong, we need you to let us know as soon as possible. This gives us the opportunity to investigate your concerns objectively, address the issues you have raised, and to try to satisfy your concerns. It also helps us to improve our standards.

2. In the first instance, if you have concerns you will probably find it helpful to discuss these with someone from the committee face to face. They may also need to ask you for further clarification about your concerns if further information is required.

3. It may be possible to offer a solution to resolve your concerns quickly and informally. The type of solution offered and the manner in which it is proposed will depend on the individual circumstances. If appropriate, the committee member may send you a detailed reply to your concerns or suggest a meeting to discuss this in more detail. When addressing your concerns in this way, we will aim to provide you with a substantive reply or proposals within 28 days of receiving the necessary details of your concerns.

4. If your concerns are not resolved to your satisfaction, you may ask that they be referred to the Committee Chair to be reviewed as a formal complaint. Alternatively, if for any reason you feel it is inappropriate to raise your concerns informally you may refer them directly to the Committee Chair straight away, to be reviewed as a formal complaint. In either case, if you have not already done so, you will need to set out your complaint, preferably in writing.

5. Upon receiving it, we will acknowledge it in writing (usually by email if that is your preferred mode of contact) within three working days of receiving details of your complaint.

6. The Chair will arrange for an investigation and will aim to write to you with a full response to your complaint by no later than 56 days from when your concerns or complaint were first raised. That response will summarise the findings of the Nuffield Road Allotment Society Committee September 2024 investigation, committee conclusions on your complaint, and the solution proposed.

7. If it is not possible to issue a detailed response within 56 days, which may be the case if the matter has first been raised as a concern informally, the Chair will update you on the progress of the investigation and provide an estimate of the likely time frame for issuing a final written response. If we consider that your complaint would be better addressed by a different means, for example, in a meeting, we will contact you to propose this.

8. If we are unable to resolve your complaint to your satisfaction within eight weeks of you first raising your concerns or complaint with us, you can ask Cambridge Council (n.a. Not sure of the name of the relevant department) to consider your complaint