Complaints against Dorset Council rising
Figures show they've gone up 14% year on year
The number of complaints put in about Dorset Council is on the rise.
Latest figures show there were 1,400 reports to the authority in the 2021-22 year - that's up 14% year on year.
Of those, around 60% of cases (862 complaints) were resolved informally, with the rest (554 incidents) dealt with through a formal complaints process.
20 cases were upheld by the Local Government Ombudsman, with 15 of those relating to adults or children's social services.
£42,300 was awarded in financial remedies to the complaints.
A report to councillors says that the total amounts awarded represent a steep rise from £6,750 in 20-21 and £1,800 in 19-20.
But it's thought that may be due to cases involving Special Education Needs dating back several years.
Overall only 8% of the total complaints made were considered fully justified with 9% partly justified, a similar percentage to the previous year.
Dorset Council says it seeks to learn from complaints and recorded 127 ‘learning points’ in the year - a 13% increase - which it says is proportionate to the increase in complaint numbers.
The authority has also recorded 380 expressions of thanks across its various directorates, down when compared to the previous Covid year, saying that's an important figure:
“This is still something for Dorset Council to celebrate and hopefully presents a more balanced report on service perceptions. It is clear in 2021-22 that people were more likely to voice complaints, than compliment a job well done.”