Handling Unreasonable Contact Policy
Radcliffe First (Admin. Group and Committee Members) has an important role providing information, advice and support to residents, business owners and of course our local councillors. Wherever possible we will assist residents with any requests, concerns or complaints. Radcliffe First is committed to openness and transparency in all its interactions with the public, and we aim to provide timely, accurate and informative responses and to ensure our communication is clear.
While the vast majority of the general public pursue their enquiries, requests or complaints in a reasonable manner, a minority do not. In some instances, this can have a negative impact on the handling of their enquiry. It can also have a significant impact on our resources. This policy sets out how Radcliffe First deals with unreasonable behaviour or needlessly repetitive contact.
Radcliffe First, Admin and Committee Members have the right to be treated with courtesy and respect and should not be exposed or subjected to abusive behaviour in any form. This policy seeks to define unreasonable behaviour and outline the steps members can take when they encounter it.
We define unreasonable behaviour as:
Examples of unreasonable behaviour
An isolated incident of unreasonable behaviour may not necessarily require further action, it is for team members to determine if the behaviour prevents us from dealing effectively with the enquiry, or if it causes distress
We differentiate between ‘persistent’ enquirers and ‘unreasonably persistent’ enquirers. People making a complaint can be persistent where they feel that we have not dealt with their complaint properly or followed our published guidelines. It is only once this persistence begins to prevent us from dealing effectively with other enquiries, or causes distress that it would be considered unreasonable.
Radcliffe First does not tolerate abusive, offensive, violent or threatening behaviour against its team members. Colleagues are advised to quickly terminate any contact that is abusive, violent or threatening and report the matter to the Party Leader who will decide on the next steps.
If it has been necessary to terminate a call, meeting or correspondence due to the behaviour of the individual the Party Leader will decide if any further action needed.
Before deciding to apply any restrictions, the Party Leader will ensure that:
If we believe that the individual has acted unreasonably, restrictions will be tailored to deal with the individual circumstances and may include one or more of the following (the list is not exhaustive):
New enquiries, requests or complaints
We will not ignore new enquiries, requests or complaints from people who have previously behaved unreasonably or requests for information which have previously been unreasonable. New enquiries relating to a different topic, requests or complaints from people who have been classified as unreasonable under this policy will be treated on their merits. The Party Leader will decide whether any restrictions which have been applied before are still appropriate and necessary in relation to the new complaint or request.
The status of a complainant judged to be unreasonably persistent will be reviewed by the Party Leader before the end of the period of restriction.
Records of restriction decisions will be retained by Radcliffe First showing the following:
Radcliffe First will be guided by the provisions of the Data Protection Act (DPA) and the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and will ensure that the complainant’s rights to have their information processed in accordance with the statutory requirements is protected and adhered to.
The Party Leader will review the unreasonable requests/requestors annually. If there has been no follow up in the last 12 months the record will be either anonymised and no personal data is retained, or the record is deleted. If the person/request is considered to be still unreasonable by the Party Leader this can be retained for another year after documenting their decision.
Before we identify someone as engaging in unreasonable contact with Radcliffe First, we will first consider whether they may have additional support needs which affects their communication with us.
If we believe a complainant faces additional challenges when communicating with us, as a result of a disability or support need, we will establish as quickly as possible their communication preferences / needs and seek to accommodate these wherever possible.
Disabilities are not always immediately apparent, so where appropriate we will take the time to understand how we can best communicate. It is possible that some individuals may face additional challenges which may lead to frustration. We will keep this in mind and respond with sensitivity.
Judi Sheppard
Party leader
Radcliffe First
Updated: 5th August 2024
Promoted by Donald Berry on behalf of Radcliffe First Party, 5 Bridgemere Close, Radcliffe M26 4FS
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