Complaints to council on planning and finance rise

Oct 2 2007 by Larry Neild, Liverpool Daily Post

THE number of complaints made about planning matters in Liverpool has more than doubled in just a year, the town hall watchdog has revealed.

Complaints by the public to the city council about council tax and finance have also risen in the past 12 months, says a report by the Local Government Ombudsman.

The Ombudsman, Anne Seex, also urged the council to ensure senior social services staff are aware of reports she has issued - including one about Liverpool - dealing with complaints about failings in home care.

The city council is currently embroiled in a row with its own home carers about the work being farmed out to outside agencies.

Although Ms Seex highlighted the increases in planning and finance, she reports that the number of complaints in 2007 was 118, down from 229 in 2006.

In her annual letter to the city council, Anne Seex says the council’s commitment to effective complaint handling “comes through very clearly” in the dealings she and her staff have with the city council.

She praises the council’s internal complaints handling system, and compliments staff on being “very professional”.

Executive member for Corporate Services, Cllr Peter Millea, said: “This is a great achievement and demonstrates the commitment of city council staff to improving standards of customer care. We are determined to provide the best possible services for the people of Liverpool and do all we can to put things right in the rare number of cases when we get something wrong.”

The time taken to respond to complaints is just 17.4 days, less than half that of the metropolitan authority average of 38.9.

Data shows that complaints fell in all but two areas of the council.

Liverpool city council chief executive Colin Hilton said: “This is an encouraging report which shows that people’s confidence in council services is improving.

“But, we are not complacent and we are striving to continue to reduce the number of complaints by upping our standards.”

Although Ms Seex said no conclusions can be drawn from the increases in complaints about planning and finance, she calls on the council to reflect on the rises.

She added the council could draw comfort from the fact her investigations into planning matters did not reveal any systemic or widespread procedural problems.

Of the 190 decisions determined by the Local Government Ombudsman during the year:

69 cases were judged as premature

39 cases found no evidence of maladministration

In 19 cases she decided not to investigate

16 cases were outside her jurisdiction

In 46 cases a local settlement was agreed

She issued only one report – on an adult social care case – but praised the “council” for being “proactive in seeking and implementing a suitable remedy”.

larryneild