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A total of 69 complaints against Bolton Council were investigated by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman last year.
New figures released by the ombudsman show that, in 2016/17, 16 people complained about the council’s handling of environmental services problems — such as bins — and 13 about planning issues.
However, only 11 detailed investigations were carried out into the complaints, five of which were upheld.
The number of Bolton complaints upheld was 45 per cent, below the North West average of 53 per cent.
The ombudsman, Michael King, said: “The best councils use our data to scrutinise the services they provide. I urge all councils to do that to make their services better in future. I want to encourage an open and mature attitude to complaints - one where they are valued within organisations as ‘free feedback’ and learning opportunities.
“Indeed, how an organisation deals with complaints says a lot about its culture.”
“The data we have issued, and wealth of information we publish on our website, are a valuable source of information about complaints handling and council performance.
“I would urge people to take a look to see how they can use it to improve or scrutinise their authority’s performance.”
The highest uphold rate in the north west was in the area of children’s services and education at 65 per cent.
Source
New figures released by the ombudsman show that, in 2016/17, 16 people complained about the council’s handling of environmental services problems — such as bins — and 13 about planning issues.
However, only 11 detailed investigations were carried out into the complaints, five of which were upheld.
The number of Bolton complaints upheld was 45 per cent, below the North West average of 53 per cent.
The ombudsman, Michael King, said: “The best councils use our data to scrutinise the services they provide. I urge all councils to do that to make their services better in future. I want to encourage an open and mature attitude to complaints - one where they are valued within organisations as ‘free feedback’ and learning opportunities.
“Indeed, how an organisation deals with complaints says a lot about its culture.”
“The data we have issued, and wealth of information we publish on our website, are a valuable source of information about complaints handling and council performance.
“I would urge people to take a look to see how they can use it to improve or scrutinise their authority’s performance.”
The highest uphold rate in the north west was in the area of children’s services and education at 65 per cent.
Source