The number of complaints from citizens to local councils that were escalated increased by 10% in 2022, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request from technology company Quadient (Euronext Paris: QDT) has revealed[1]. With councils receiving up to 10,000 complaints a year, and 10% of all complaints escalated in 2022, councils that already face drains on their resources need to balance reduced budgets with the need to deal with citizens’ issues.
Local councils are already fighting to find an extra £2.4bn this year to meet unforeseen challenges, and the amount needed is only set to increase as inflation continues to rise. Ongoing budget constraints and wider economic pressures are likely contributing to the mishandling of citizen complaints, as already stretched teams lack the necessary resources.
Of the local councils that responded:
Southwark Council received the highest number of complaints in both 2021 and 2022. The proportion of complaints escalated also grew by 37% year-on-year: from 5.4% to 7.4%.
Largest increase in proportion of escalated complaints came from Amber Valley Borough Council, which saw the proportion grow by 431% between 2021 and 2022. Second was Warwick District Council, which saw a 195% increase.
Largest decrease in proportion of escalated complaints was at Carlisle City Council, which saw the proportion of drop by 89%
High rises and great falls: The highest rise in the number of complaints overall was in the London Borough of Newham, with an increase of 1,155 year-on-year, while Lambeth saw the most complaints escalated (294). Conversely, North Somerset Council saw the greatest fall in the number of complaints (978).
“Local councils are under huge pressure from citizens to improve services as the cost-of-living increases, so it’s no surprise that complaints are on the rise,” said Phil Jones, Business Development Director, Quadient. “However, it is worrying that the number of complaints escalated has increased by such a significant volume. Even in councils where escalations have fallen, they have generally fallen in low numbers. This illustrates that local councils are struggling to deal with complaints effectively and quickly, leaving citizens still angry and wanting more. If local councils can’t control this level of escalation, then they will only see dissatisfaction rise. This will mean more time and resources spent on escalated complaints, and less on the services their communities need.”
Compounding these issues is the fact that several local councils are unable to accurately identify which complaints have been escalated. In some cases, internal council systems do not enable reporting on the precise stage of a complaint, while in others, a change of system means that records of older complaints are not easily available.
The right approach to customer communication is vital to ensure that citizens receive the best possible service and advice using their response delivery channel of choice, while allowing stretched local councils to do more with less. For instance, automating and standardising templates for regular and ad-hoc responses will free more of councils’ time to address the core issues at the heart of complaints. Citizens are much more likely to see and engage with the council’s response if responses are delivered in a timely manner and using a variety of channels. By ensuring that citizens feel listened to, councils can enhance their brand equity. In addition, having access to a full audit trail of all communications sent and received means the council can demonstrate it is dealing with issues at critical points along the whole complaints’ response and resolution journey.
“As we continue trending toward an economic downturn, local councils will have to deal with a precarious combination of reduced budgets and less satisfied citizens,” continued Phil Jones. “Addressing the issue now is essential to prevent the number and proportion of escalated complaints from increasing exponentially. Councils must ensure they communicate to citizens with the right message, at the right time, over the right channel to improve the overall citizen experience. This reassures citizens that even if they have complaints, they are dealt with quickly, effectively, and fairly, whilst being kept abreast of the complaints journey toward resolution.”
