Increase in complaints to Ombudsman on Stafford Borough Council
Complaints about Stafford Borough Council investigated by a watchdog have increased according to the latest figures.
Borough council bosses apologised to one complainant after the authority was found to be at fault by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman.
The issue, reported in January, related to failings in dealing with discretionary business rate relief and involved the authority’s finance service.
The Ombudsman investigated 16 complaints relating to Stafford Borough Council during 2018/19 – up from 11 in 2017/18.
The council’s chief executive also responded to more corporate complaints in 2018/19 than in 2017/17 – 13 compared to seven the year before – a report presented to Thursday’s resources scrutiny committee meeting revealed.
The development department received the most complaints responded to by the chief executive – previously considered the second stage of the council’s formal complaints process.
The chief executive responded to five development service complaints, along with four relating to finance and two each in connection with the law and administration and operations departments.
The first stage of the council’s previous formal complaints process was dealt with through a response from the appropriate head of service, but if the complainant was not satisfied with this the matter went to the second level.
The report said: “In the vast majority of instances the complaints investigated related to the outcome of decisions made in accordance with the council’s working procedures, guidelines and policies. Therefore no recommended action was required.
“During 2018/19 seven of the 16 complainants (who went to the Ombudsman) were not satisfied with the outcome of the response provided by the chief executive and pursued the matter further with the Ombudsman, which compared to five out of 11 during 2017/18.
“The Ombudsman did find the council to be at fault on one occasion, but was satisfied that an apology provided a full remedy to the complaint. The Ombudsman did not issue any reports.
“A new complaints procedure has now been introduced across the authority with effect from 1 July 2019, which is now in three stages in order to provide greater clarity as to what constituted a complaint (as opposed to a service request), who should respond to each stage of the process and an ability to assemble more accurate and consistent complaints handling data that will annually be reported to this committee.”
