Complaints to Wakefield Council up by four per cent with bin collections among most common gripes

Complaints against Wakefield Council rose by four per cent last year, a report by the local authority has revealed.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The council received 1,520 formal grievances between April 2019 and March 2020, an increase of 68 from the previous 12 months.

Most of the complaints related to frontline services, such as bin collections, road maintenance and parking.

Around 56 per cent of all complaints were upheld.

More than 1,500 gripes were registered between April 2019 and March 2020.More than 1,500 gripes were registered between April 2019 and March 2020.
More than 1,500 gripes were registered between April 2019 and March 2020.
Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The most common cause of complaint was quality service, followed by the council failing to take action and staff conduct.

Around 10 per cent of the grievances were escalated when complainants were unhappy with the original response.

Meanwhile, the council received a total of 337 compliments for their work during the same time period.

Adult social care was the department which received the most praise.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Coun Michael Graham, the authority's portfolio holder for resources, said: "We aim to deliver good quality services for our residents, which is why we welcome hearing from anyone who believes we have fallen short of this.

"Every complaint is an opportunity to understand our customers better and improve the services that we deliver.

“In the past year, we have seen a small increase of four per cent in the total number of complaints received, but were pleased to see a decrease of four per cent in the number of Stage 2 complaints received as this indicates we are resolving issues for residents more quickly.

"The intelligence provided by customer contact and complaints will continue to be used to help shape the way services are delivered, with a clear customer focus, to deliver the best services possible for the district’s residents."

In numbers - 2019/20 common complaints by type

Quality of service - 267 (170 upheld)

Failure to take action - 245 (183 upheld)

Staff conduct - 235 (128 upheld)

Dissatisfied with a decision - 111 (24 upheld)

Timeliness of service - 45 (33 upheld)

Poor communication - 40 (23 upheld)

Local Democracy Reporting Service