Southwark (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Southwark Council received 256 complaints to the ombudsman, trailing Lambeth (316) and Haringey (290) in the latest accountability figures across councils.
140 of the inquiries received in Southwark were related to housing, which constituted the great bulk of complaints. The only state with a slightly higher number of housing complaints—142—to the Ombudsman was Lambeth.
After the ombudsman’s findings, Sarah King, the council’s new leader, expressed regret to the locals, saying she was “sorry that our services fell below the standards that our residents deserve.”
The Ombudsman upheld 52 complaints, closed 96 after preliminary investigations, and dismissed five. The others were not evaluated since they were deemed to be outside the ombudsman’s jurisdiction.
According to Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Ms. Amerdeep Somal, the surge in complaints to the ombudsman was indicative of structural problems in local government.
She said:
“I appreciate national pressures in the key areas of Special Educational Needs, availability of housing and adult care are putting enormous strain on local authorities, but we still hold them accountable to the law and guidance and the high standards people expect from their local services.
We are finding more fault, but I welcome their overwhelming compliance with the recommendations we make.”
In London, 37% of complaints and inquiries were related to housing, and 52% of the ombudsman’s total housing caseload was in the capital.
London, on the other hand, had the lowest percentage of complaints regarding children and education of any region in the United Kingdom, accounting for only 14% of all complaints, while the national average was 28%.
In London, Highways & Transport accounted for 11% of complaints and inquiries, which is more than the regional average of 9%. In all, 31% of the complaints and inquiries in this category came from London.
According to national statistics, 99.7% of recommendations were followed, and 83% of all Ombudsman investigations were upheld.
Ms Amerdeep Somal, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said:
“Sitting at the apex of the complaint system for English local authorities, the complaints we receive – and the faults we find – can act as a bellwether for the state of local services across the country.
We are receiving a higher number of complaints year-on-year and upholding those complaints in greater numbers. This reflects how systemic some of the issues across local government are.
I appreciate national pressures in the key areas of Special Educational Needs, availability of housing and adult care are putting enormous strain on local authorities, but we still hold them accountable to the law and guidance and the high standards people expect from their local services. We are finding more fault, but I welcome their overwhelming compliance with the recommendations we make.”
Councillor Sarah King, the leader of Southwark Council, said:
“We are sorry that our services fell below the standards that our residents deserve.
We take this issue seriously, which is why we have recently launched the Good Landlord Plan, giving our residents a stronger voice to shape our housing services and to challenge us to be better. Our plan sets out our commitment to deliver on better homes, better estates, better repairs, better customer service, a stronger voice for tenants, and more new council homes.
We have already rolled out measures to improve the way services are delivered and identified improvements in our complaint response approach to reduce the need for residents to escalate issues. We are starting to see improvements but recognise we have some way to go.
The Council is committed to continuing to improve the customer experience and in housing where we currently see significant volumes of complaints. Our Good Landlord Plan will focus our work on improving services for our residents”.
What factors might explain Southwark Council’s high complaint rates compared to other councils?
Southwark Council’s high complaint rates compared to other councils can be attributed to several interacting factors, primarily centered around housing service issues, challenges in complaint handling, and broader economic and operational pressures.
Significant failings in housing services are a major driver of complaints. Housing repairs are a persistent and “live issue” for residents, and the Housing Ombudsman has issued reports regarding maladministration in this area .
Southwark has received a C3 consumer grading, indicating “serious failings” in its delivery of consumer standards, particularly in safety and quality.