This policy applies to complaints raised by a member of Aigburth Community Cycle Club, an Aigburth Community Cycle Club volunteer, a member of the public or an organisation we have dealt with.

A complaint is when someone tells us they are dissatisfied with something Aigburth Community Cycle Club has done (or not done) which conflicts with our policies and procedures, or the way our volunteers or members have behaved.

We welcome feedback about our policies and decisions and are happy to explain the reasons for them. However, we won’t treat such feedback as a formal complaint unless there is a possibility that we have breached our own procedures in arriving at those decisions.

If we receive a complaint we aim to:

• respond to complaints as quickly and efficiently as possible, while being fair to everyone involved
• provide a fair complaints procedure that is clear and easy to use, when a formal investigation is needed
• publicise our complaints process on Spond; handle all complaint information sensitively, in line with relevant data protection requirements
• make sure all our volunteers know what to do if someone complains to Aigburth Community Cycle Club
• apologise if we have got something wrong and act quickly to put it right
• monitor complaints and learn from them

We believe most complaints are best dealt with informally by the main ride leader responsible for the ride, but we’ll always make sure the complaint is recorded, monitored and responded to appropriately.  Sometimes a formal investigation is needed.

Following acknowledgement we’ll do all we can to ensure that the issue is resolved within 30 days of acknowledging your complaint.

Our complaints process has three stages:

We ask people to raise any complaint about a ride with the main ride leader responsible for the ride.  Whoever receives the initial complaint should find out what they can about it and either deal with it themselves if they are competent to do so or refer it to a member of the cycle club committee.

In most cases, we expect this informal contact to resolve the situation. However, if we haven’t met the complainant’s expectations and they wish to take it further, we ask that a formal complaint is raised by emailing the cycle club committee on info@aigburthcommunitycycleclub.org

When a complaint is escalated to Stage 2, it will be investigated by a member of the cycle club committee who has not been involved in the complaint. They are referred to here as the ‘investigator’.

The investigator will acknowledge the complaint in writing, normally within 7 working days of it being escalated. They will try to complete the investigation as quickly as possible and within 30 days of acknowledgement. If it is likely to take a long time, the investigator will let the complainant know what is happening.

After completing their investigation, the investigator will decide whether to uphold or reject the complaint, deciding on any sanctions if applicable. They will inform the complainant in writing about the decision, any actions Aigburth Community Cycle Club will take and their right of appeal.

If the complainant feels their complaint was not handled appropriately, or still feels they have not had a satisfactory answer, they may appeal within 28 working days of being given a decision by emailing info@aigburthcommunitycycleclub.org  with their request, explaining the basis on which they are making the appeal.

A member of the cycle club committee who was not involved in the original complaint or the investigation will be appointed to carry out the Appeal Review.  When they have completed their review, they will inform the complainant in writing about their decision and any actions Aigburth Community Cycle Club will take.

The original response to a complaint may be reviewed just once. Once the appeal has been reviewed and a response provided to the complainant, the matter will be closed.

Vexatious Complaints Policy

Aigburth Community Cycle Club seeks to deal with any complaints raised in an efficient and transparent manner, however, there may be times when a complaint is considered vexatious and places a disproportionate impact on time and resources of volunteers who have to deal with them.

We consider a complaint to be vexatious when

• the individual refuses to co-operate with the complaints procedure;
• the individual uses insulting, abusive or threatening words or behaviour, either verbally or in writing;
• the individual continues to pursue a complaint after the appropriate procedures have been followed and/or with the purpose of causing annoyance or disruption;
• the individual refuses to accept that issues are not within the power of Aigburth Community Cycle Club to investigate, change or influence.
• where an individual seeks to raise a complaint via a public platform of any kind rather than by contacting the cycle club committee directly.

Process for declaring a complaint to be vexatious

When the investigator considers a complaint to be vexatious the complaint will be referred to the cycle club co-ordinator who will decide if the complaint is vexatious against the above definition.

If considered vexatious the cycle club co-ordinator will contact the complainant in writing to inform them of this decision and outline the next steps. Where the complaints procedure has been followed in full, and the complaint is considered closed, the complainant will be notified in writing and made aware that there will be no further correspondence due to serving no useful purpose.

Member resolution policy and appeals

On rare occasions an individual member may act in a way that is contrary to our values and aims as an organisation. Wherever possible we will try to resolve issues informally and where there is a concern about the impact of an individual member’s behaviour a member of the cycle club committee will in the first instance speak with the member to try to resolve the issue informally.

Where this is not possible Aigburth Community Cycle Club may use this formal member resolution process to seek to resolve the issue.

All complaints regarding the behaviour of members should be presented and submitted in writing by emailing us at
info@aigburthcommunitycyclingclub.org or by post to Aigburth Community Cycle Club, ℅ Lark Lane Community Centre, 80 Lark Lane, Liverpool, L17 8UU.

The cycle club committee will meet to hear complaints within 14 days of a complaint being lodged. The committee has the power to take appropriate disciplinary action including the termination of membership.

The outcome of a disciplinary hearing should be notified in writing to the person who lodged the complaint and the member against whom the complaint was made within 7 days of the hearing.

There will be the right of appeal to the cycle club committee following disciplinary action being announced. The committee should consider the appeal within 14 days of the cycle club co-ordinator receiving the appeal.