Council complaints fall across West Midlands region

The number of complaints made about councils in the West Midlands has fallen, latest figures show.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman said it upheld 70% - more than 1,500 - last year, down from 76%.

Nationally, 10% of all complaints it dealt with were from the region, with most focussing on children and education, a spokesperson said.

In 2021-22, the ombudsman made 1,848 improvement recommendations across England.

Of the 14 complaints investigated at Stoke-on-Trent City Council, 12 were upheld.

At Worcestershire County Council, complaints mainly covered safeguarding and education provision, with the ombudsman upholding 12 of the 19.

Ten complaints, or 71%, were upheld against Coventry City Council, compared with 68% nationally. All recommendations were put in place, the ombudsman said.

Issues raised included social care, council tax and child protection matters.

The annual figures also showed the West Midlands region had the most complaints upheld in corporate matters - covering areas like commercial contracts, the electoral register and land purchasing.

Michael King, Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, said the majority of councils agreed to the recommendations, although authorities needed to act swiftly.

"One complaint can have immense power to change things for the better, and we're increasingly focusing on to how we, and the local authorities we investigate, take the learning from those complaints and improve service provision."

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