FORUM POLICIES & DOCUMENTS
COMPLAINTS POLICY
Last update: 22/08/26
1. Purpose
This policy explains how anyone can raise a complaint about Totnes Business Forum (“TBF”) — including its decisions, its services, or the conduct of a Director, Steering Group member, or Member while engaged in TBF's activities — and how TBF will handle it.
2. Scope
This policy covers complaints about:
A breach of TBF's Forum Members' Code of Conduct, or its Code of Conduct for Directors and the Steering Group.
A decision TBF has made, such as the outcome of a membership application.
The general conduct of anyone acting on TBF's behalf.
Any other aspect of TBF's service that has fallen short of what you'd reasonably expect.
This policy does not cover:
Challenges to the outcome of a specific procurement or tender process, which are handled under TBF's Procurement and Tender Policy.
Requests to access, correct, or delete your personal data, which are handled under TBF's Privacy Policy — though if you're unhappy with how such a request was handled, you can complain about that under this policy too.
3. How to raise a complaint
Email hello@totnesbusinessforum.co.uk with details of your complaint, including what happened, when, and what outcome you're looking for.
If your complaint is about a Director personally, raise it with the other Director instead. If it concerns both Directors, or if the Director who would normally handle it has a conflict of interest under TBF's Conflicts of Interest Policy, raise it with TBF's Steering Group instead.
4. What happens next
| Stage | Target timescale |
|---|---|
| Acknowledgement | Within 5 working days |
| Full response | Within 20 working days — or you’ll be told why more time is needed, and given a new timescale |
TBF will look into your complaint fairly and, so far as possible, in confidence, sharing information only with those who need it to resolve the matter.
5. Possible outcomes
Depending on what your complaint concerns, TBF may:
Explain a decision more fully, or provide an apology.
Reconsider a decision, such as a membership application.
Take action under TBF's Forum Members' Code of Conduct or Code of Conduct for Directors and the Steering Group — for example, restricting a Member's access to a feature or benefit of membership, or asking a Steering Group member to step down.
Refer the matter elsewhere, if it's better handled by someone else — for example, the Information Commissioner's Office for a data protection concern, or the Regulator of Community Interest Companies for a concern about whether TBF is meeting its obligations as a CIC.
6. If you're not satisfied
If you're unhappy with how your complaint was handled, you can ask for it to be reviewed by whichever Director, or the Steering Group, did not originally deal with it. Beyond TBF's own process, some matters can be taken further externally — for example, to the ICO for data protection complaints, or to the CIC Regulator for concerns about TBF's community interest obligations.
7. Unreasonable or repeated complaints
TBF reserves the right to treat a complaint as closed if it is repetitive, unreasonable, or made in bad faith, and will explain its reasons for doing so.
8. Record-keeping
Complaint records are kept for 3 years from resolution, in line with TBF's Privacy Policy, so TBF can review patterns and handle any follow-up.