Complaints against the Council-
Finding out how users view Wealden’s complaints process
Wealden District Council provides a wide range of services to 140,000 residents. In December 2006 the Council wrote to the 89 complainants who had made a formal complaint against the Council between April 2005 and March 2006 to gain feedback about its complaints process. (The number of complainants is less than the 99 formal complaints made during the year because some people made more than one complaint or did not give an address.)
A total of 26 people completed the survey, with two more sending in comments only.
There were 8 questions in the survey, asking about the amount of time the formal complaint service took, the accessibility, quality and fairness of the service, whether the complainant was informed of everything needed, whether staff went “the extra mile” and were knowledgeable, and whether the complainant got what they needed. Each question had five choices (very satisfied, satisfied, neither, dissatisfied, or very dissatisfied). There was also space for any comment or suggestion.
23% were satisfied with the amount of time the service took
27% were satisfied with its overall accessibility
19% were satisfied with the overall quality
23% felt they were treated fairly
19% felt they were kept informed of everything they had to do to get the service
15% felt staff went the extra mile to make sure they got what they needed
27% thought the staff were knowledgeable and competent
15% were satisfied that they got what they needed
On average, respondents were dissatisfied with the complaints process. The most dissatisfaction was with not getting what they felt they needed. Six respondents gave the lowest possible rating in all eight categories.
Typical comments:
- “None of the issues raised in our complaint were addressed”
- “Building control should realise that the public are not building experts & rely on them to help”
- “Respond to contact quicker & keep more accurate records of incidents.”
- “Official acknowledgement of mistakes would have been appreciated.”
- “Both the street-naming process and the way I was treated show the system is fundamentally flawed”
- “No point”
- “Don't allow unsuitable development just because you get back-handers”
- “The rules & regulations should be applied in a consistent even-handed manner.”
- “The toilets are really a disgrace with cracked tiles and messy floors”
- “I was quite impressed and very satisfied with the workings of the council.”
This information is being passed to Council managers and Councillors to help improve our handling of complaints.
