South West Councils face high volume of complaints, reports Ombudsman

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has released its annual report for 2023-24, highlighting complaints data for councils in the South West of England. This region saw a significant number of complaints and enquiries, shedding light on the challenges faced by local authorities.

Key statistics from the South West:

• The Ombudsman received 1,795 complaints and enquiries from the South West, representing 10.3% of the total received nationally. This equates to 31.1 complaints per 100,000 residents, the second highest in the country after London (47.2 per 100,000 residents).

• Complaints about Children and Education were particularly prominent, accounting for 31% of the total, above the national average of 27%. The region recorded 9.6 complaints per 100,000 residents in this category, second only to the South East (10.5 per 100,000 residents).

• Planning & Development issues comprised 14% of complaints, significantly higher than the national average of 10%. The South West recorded the highest rate of complaints in this category, at 4.3 per 100,000 residents.

• Housing-related complaints were notably low, with only 2.6 per 100,000 residents, the third lowest in the country.

• The overall uphold rate for the South West stood at 81%, slightly above the national average of 80%.

• For Children and Education complaints, the uphold rate was notably high at 89%.

• The region had a total of 391 upheld decisions, translating to 6.8 upheld decisions per 100,000 residents, again the second highest behind London (8.2).

For the first time, the Ombudsman reported significant concerns about councils’ compliance with recommendations, with over one in five complaints being remedied late. This delay in addressing issues impacts the residents at the heart of the complaints, potentially eroding trust in local authorities.

Ms. Amerdeep Somal, the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, commented on the national trend, stating: “What we’re seeing in the majority of cases isn’t a lack of care or an inability to take responsibility for what has gone wrong, but a sector struggling to cope.” She emphasised the need for councils to engage fully in the process and to implement service improvement recommendations promptly to restore public trust, continuing: “Almost all councils want to comply with our recommendations, accept responsibility when things go wrong, and provide good services to residents, and our 99.5% compliance rate indicates this is the case. But all too often resources and finances prevent them from doing so as swiftly as they should.

“However, there are a small number of councils that seem unwilling to respond to our investigations as we expect them to, and we have had to tell those councils that we will issue a witness summons for them to provide information that should otherwise be forthcoming.

“Regardless of the reason for the delays in responding, the impact is the same on the people at the centre of the complaints and councils risk losing the opportunity to restore faith when things have gone wrong.

"I urge those few councils that do not engage fully in the process to get on board to benefit their local residents. The service improvement recommendations we make are practical steps that should be in the gift of local authorities to put in place. If councils are unable to implement them in the timescales we require, they should let us know before they agree to them.”

The Ombudsman's annual report highlights a concerning trend in complaints about services for children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), which now dominate the casework at 26% of all complaints. Additionally, 14% of the casework involved Adult Social Care Services, with an 80% uphold rate for investigated complaints.

Detailed statistics for each council have been made available on the Ombudsman’s “Your Council’s Performance” interactive map, enabling residents to compare their local authority’s performance against national averages and read accompanying letters from the Ombudsman.

For more detailed information, you can access the Ombudsman’s report and interactive map https://www.lgo.org.uk/your-councils-performance.