Published on:
02
November 2015
Council Leader Les Sharp has welcomed the announcement this week that no complaints were upheld or partly upheld against Clackmannanshire Council in 2014/15.
Thirteen complaints were raised with Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) in 2014/15, compared to 12 in 2013/14. There was also one complaint carried forward from 2013/14 that had still to be resolved, making a total of 14 complaints to be determined.
Councillor Sharp said: "Very low referrals to the Ombudsman are a welcome reflection on the quality of Council staff, and management of customer relationships. I take the Ombudsman's report to be an endorsement of our customer service initiatives."
Only one out of the 14 complaints was passed for investigation by SPSO. All others were either out of jurisdiction or resolved at the early advice stage (without the need to investigate the complaint). The one complaint investigated was not upheld.
Councillor Sharp added: "We've been given a clean bill of health from the Ombudsman for the past few years. This is excellent news. The number of complaints cases in which the Ombudsman has taken an interest has been very low for a number of years now, and he has not overturned any of our decisions.
"Many of Clackmannanshire's residents have regular contact with the Council and experience our customer services approach through diverse services ranging from waste collection and road repairs through to libraries and education.
"Clackmannanshire Council recognises that customer expectations cannot always be met and therefore, at times, some complaints are unavoidable. Our Customer Charter sets out the level of service that our customers can expect.
"All complaints received by the Council are treated seriously, and dealt with according to our policies. Credit is due to the staff who handle the complaints we do receive, and for resolving them where they can. The Council is committed to continual improvement - the key driver is to be more effective, efficient and to deliver excellent customer service."