Creudy Casnewydd / Newport Makerspace Complaints Procedure
Making a complaint
A formal complaint may be made by anyone (members and non-members) by emailing a trustee individually or by using contact@newportmakerspace.org. If the complainant prefers, they can also deliver a written complaint to any trustee by hand, see the list of our trustees at the end of this document.
Informal complaints may be made in writing, but also verbally to a trustee. These complaints will still be recorded to be discussed by trustees, but will not result in a sanction. The trustees may decide by majority vote to escalate an informal complaint to a formal complaint if they perceive that there is an ongoing risk of harm.
What happens next
Each complaint will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by trustees, who will investigate. Throughout this process trustees will endeavour to maintain clear and constructive communication between themselves, the offending party, and any other affected parties.
Following the investigation of a formal complaint, trustees may decide by majority vote to impose a sanction on a member. In extreme cases, trustees may be required to involve the police or other third parties. When making decisions, trustees will take the position of preserving the best interests of Newport Makerspace / Creudy Casnewydd and its community.
Sanctions include:
- The issuing of a formal warning.
- The revocation of access previously granted by induction to tools and machinery.
- Temporary suspension of a membership.
- Permanent termination of a membership.
Trustees will consider the termination of membership for offenders who persistently demonstrate unwillingness to cooperate, or for very serious complaints.
Trustees will keep all details of complaints strictly confidential, and not discuss the complaint with anyone apart from other trustees or involved parties. Trustees cannot stop a complainant from discussing their complaint with others.
Trustees will report anonymized complaint discussions and outcomes at members’ meetings.
Trustees will maintain a record of all formal and informal complaints. This record will include, at minimum, the date of the complaint, the complainant, the subject, and the outcome. This record will be kept strictly confidential and only accessible by current Trustees. If a complaint is deemed to be without merit, it will be removed from the record.
Information regarding resolved complaints, except for information regarding serious complaints, will be kept for no more than five years. Information regarding serious complaints that have been upheld by the trustees will be kept for no more than ten years. The trustees will review the information contained in the record at every trustees’ meeting.
List of trustees
Aidan Taylor (Chair) Ruth Dixon (Treasurer) Peter Gilbert (Secretary)