Internal Dispute Resolution Procedure guide

Right of appeal and complaints

If you are not satisfied with any decision affecting you made in relation to the Local Government Pension Scheme by Islington Council’s Pension’s Office, you have the right to ask for it to be looked at again under the formal complaint procedure. You also have a right to use the procedure if a decision should have been made by your employer or administering authority, but it hasn't been.

In the first instance you should write to the nominated person Matthew Hopson, Deputy Director of Finance - Corporate. You must do this within six months of the date of the notification of the decision or the act or omission about which you are complaining (or such longer period as the nominated person considers reasonable).

This is a formal review of the initial decision or act or omission and is an opportunity for the matter to be reconsidered. The nominated person will consider your complaint and notify you of his or her decision.

First stage

The formal complaint procedure has two stages. Many complaints are resolved at the first stage. Any complaint you make will be treated seriously, and considered thoroughly and fairly.

If you need to make a formal complaint, you should make it in writing, and normally within six months of the day when you were told of the decision you want to complain about.

Your complaint will be considered carefully by a person nominated by the body that took the decision against which you wish to complain, who will for the rest of this guide be referred to as the ‘adjudicator’

The adjudicator for Islington Council is:

Paul Clarke, Director of Finance,
Islington Council,
Pensions Office,
Newington Barrow Way,
London N7 7EP.

When writing to the adjudicator you should state the full particulars showing why you may be aggrieved, and also give:

• your full name
• address
• date of birth
• national insurance number
• a copy of my letter
• the name of your employing authority (Islington Council)

The adjudicator will consider your complaint and notify you of their decision in writing. 

If the adjudicator's decision is contrary to the decision you complained about, the employer who made that original decision will now have to deal with your case in accordance with the adjudicator's decision.

If the decision you complained about concerned the exercise of a discretion by Islington Council and the adjudicator decides that the employer should reconsider how they exercised their discretion, they will be required to reconsider their original decision. 

Second stage 

You can ask Islington Council to take a fresh look at your complaint in any of the following circumstances: 

• you are not satisfied with the adjudicator's first stage decision     
• you have not received a decision or an interim letter from the adjudicator, and it is three months since your lodged your complaint   
• it is one month after the date by which the adjudicator told you (in an interim letter) that they would give you a decision, and you have still not received that decision.

This review would be undertaken by a person not involved in the first stage decision.

You will need to send Islington Council your complaint in writing. Islington Council will consider your complaint and give you their decision in writing.

If you are still unhappy following Islington Council’s second stage decision, you can take your case to the Pensions Ombudsman provided you do so within three years from the date of the original decision (or lack of a decision) about which you are complaining.

The Pensions Ombudsman

The Ombudsman can investigate and determine all complaints and disputes involving maladministration of the scheme and can be contacted at:

10 South Colonnade
Canary Wharf
E14 4PU

• Phone: 0800 917 4487
• Website: www.pensions-ombudsman.org.uk  

For more help and advice, visit our contact us page.