Complaints to Staffordshire County Council about services such as roads and transport have fallen, a report has revealed – but the number taken to the Local Government Ombudsman has risen.
Issues investigated by the ombudsman in recent months included the suspension of the temporary vacant seat scheme (TVSS), which had previously offered families the opportunity for pay for a spare seat to get to sixth form if they did not qualify for free school transport.
At a meeting this week, councillors considered the number of corporate services – such as highways, transport, environmental services, lighting and country parks – complaints received during 2021/2022.
Kate Bullivant, the council’s customer feedback and complaints manager, told the meeting that the number of “stage one” complaints had reduced from 87 in 2020/21 to 49 in 2021/21. She added:
“There are lots of lessons learned that show we take complaints seriously.”
Kate Bullivant, Staffordshire County Council
But the number of “stage two” complaints increased from 20 in 2020/21 to 26 the following year.
And the number of contacts with the council from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman also rose, from 20 in 2020/21 to 24 in 2021/22.
Eight of the complaints made to the ombudsman were investigated, with seven upheld and the eighth ongoing at the time of the report.
One related to complaints about flooding to property, two were in connection with failure to determine map modifications and the remaining five were about the council’s suspension of TVSS for school buses and failure to deal with transport applications.
The ombudsman found no fault with the suspension of the TVSS, but faults were found with the way in which four complainants’ request for post 16 transport were considered and the handling of a transport application.
Cllr Jeremy Pert said:
“There was an area that caused concern to residents and I wonder what the lessons learned were from the way that was brought in and managed?”
Cllr Jeremy Pert, Staffordshire County Council
Ms Bullivant said:
“We had a lot of feedback and complaints from a certain area of parents who were unhappy with that [decision on the TVSS].
“In respect of how we dealt with it, we did take on board what the Ombudsman said and reviewed our ways of working.
“The ombudsman is a great advocate of asking us and supporting us to review our ways of working in order that they are fit for purpose, whether that be for ourselves or third parties, as in our residents.
“Therefore we did review our ways of working, we provided a way forward for the parents that were unhappy with what we were saying and doing, and we offered for them to come back and apply again.
“We looked at that information with our colleagues in the transport team and the decision remained the same. But it was acknowledged that our ways of working were fit for purpose at that time.”
Kate Bullivant, Staffordshire County Council
Other issues that led to more than one stage two complaint included management of special education needs and disabilities transport, lack of action to address flooding to properties caused by water from council land and impact of new lighting on a property.
