Item 9 - Complaints Report 2024-25
West Dunbartonshire Council · 10 December 2025
Back to Audit Committee — 10 December 2025 and its agenda
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Chief Officer - Citizen, Culture & Facilities Audit Committee - 10 December 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Subject: Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Complaints Report 2024-25 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to present the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) report on complaints handling by West Dunbartonshire Council for the year 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that Committee: • Notes the contents of the report and the ongoing commitment at a service and strategic level to monitor complaints and ensure compliance with Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) timelines. 3. Background 3.1 West Dunbartonshire Council administer the SPSO complaint handling model operating in line with all other Local Authorities. Complaints continue to be managed centrally by the Customer Relations team for all Council services. Complaints regarding West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) are managed independently by the partnership. 3.2 Statutory appeals and reviews, such as planning decision appeals, continue to be directed to the relevant decision-making body, and are not processed through the SPSO office. 3.3 Centralised complaints handling ensures an open and transparent process. Complaints are valued because they provide an insight into services, and how the Council is performing. The feedback offers valuable information helping to inform service planning, improve how services are delivered and ensure customer’s voices are heard and views considered. Customers who remain dissatisfied with the final outcome of their complaint are openly directed to the SPSO to have their case considered for review. 3.4 West Dunbartonshire Council acts as factor for the buildings where we retain an interest with tenanted properties. Anyone who remains dissatisfied with the outcome of their complaint may also be signposted to the First-tier Tribunal for Scotland (Housing and Property Chamber). The Tribunal is an independent and impartial judicial body whose function is to review complaints from homeowners who consider their property factor has failed to perform its Item 9
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factoring duties or failed to comply with the Property Factors’ Code of Conduct. 3.5 As a member of the Local Authority Complaints Handlers Network, the Council continues to fully engage in sharing of good practice and developing consistent approaches to complaints handling and reporting. Network meetings are held regularly, with SPSO in attendance at each meeting. 4. Main Issues 4.1 The SPSO delivers an annual report to each Local Authority detailing the number of complaints reported to its office. Appendix 1 provides a breakdown of enquiries handled by SPSO relating to West Dunbartonshire Council for 2024-25 together with comparison data for 2023-24. Appendix 2 is a summary breakdown of complaints received by the Council in 2024-25. Appendix 3 shows Social Work complaints handled by the HSCP for the same period. 4.2 In the year 2024-25, SPSO received 35 complaints regarding the Council, an increase of six from 2023-24. The highest proportion of complaints made by West Dunbartonshire citizens related to housing matters. 4.3 Of the 35 complaints to SPSO, 16 were handled at the Advice and Guidance stage. This is the initial receipt stage at SPSO where all enquiries are assessed. At this stage, four were deemed mature meaning they had completed the Council’s complaints process. In these cases advice was offered by SPSO and the complaint was not considered further. A further five were deemed as premature, which is terminology used by the SPSO when the complainant has not exhausted the Council’s complaints process. Another seven were handled as enquiries where SPSO would have offered information and support and can refer people to other organisations that may be better placed to help such as the Financial Services Ombudsman. 4.4 The SPSO’s Early Resolution stage is where SPSO start to gather information they need to decide if full investigation is required. Of complaints considered by SPSO at this stage, two were closed by SPSO as unable to proceed where they determined they could not take the complaint forward. 4.5 A further 17 complaints were handled by the SPSO at the Early Resolution Stage. At this stage the SPSO applied discretion in three cases where it deemed insufficient benefit would be achieved by investigation. One was closed as an alternative course of action was proposed. A further one was resolved where both SPSO and the complainant were satisfied with proposed outcome. There were a further 12 complaints closed by SPSO under good complaints handling meaning SPSO were satisfied complaints had been fully and appropriately investigated and responded to by the Council and SPSO could not achieve a better outcome.
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4.6 There were no complaints fully investigated by the SPSO during the year 2024-25. 4.7 The low number of complaints considered by SPSO is positive and reflects on the high level of effective complaints handling within West Dunbartonshire Council. 4.8 As outlined in Appendix 2, the Council handled 1633 complaints internally in 2024-25. Of these, 1486 were closed within 2024-25. The difference in complaints handled and closed is due to complaints being received during the reporting period but still being worked on. The remaining 147 were closed in 2025-26 and will be included in appropriate reporting periods. When registering a complaint, residents preferred method is the online complaints form which accounted for 71% of all complaints received. The telephone is the next preferred method accounting for 16%. 4.9 As noted above, the number of complaints received in 2024-25 was 1633. This represents an increase of 160% when compared to complaints received in 2023-25 (628). The significant increase in complaints was due to multiple factors including the introduction of the garden waste permit and the change to bin collections over the festive period. It is important to continue to encourage capturing expressions of dissatisfaction. Complaints data provides services with valuable information to inform service improvement and understand the expectations of customers. 4.10 Of the 1146 complaints closed, 93% were resolved within SPSO timescales, including with extension where applicable, representing an increase of 10% from 2024-25 (83%). Customer Relations maintain a focus on right first time and is committed to ensuring the quality of responses remains high whilst seeking to improve response times again in 2025-26. 4.11 In line with this, the service continues to work to encourage a culture of welcoming complaints and ensuring services across the Council use the data provided to identify and progress complaints improvement activity. 5. People Implications 5.1 There are no people implications arising from this report. 6. Financial and Procurement Implications 6.1 There are no financial implications arising from this report. 7/
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7. Risk Analysis 7.1 There is a reputational risk in not responding to complaints in defined time periods within the two stage process. Complaints data is closely monitored, including response times and quality of response from services. Customer Relations continue to work to support services to improve response timescales and maintain quality of complaints management. 7.2 There is a risk that services do not learn from the complaints received and do not adapt processes or policies to stop it happening again. To reduce this risk complaints data is reported quarterly to Performance & Monitoring Review Group. Complaints data is also shared with Chief Officers and included within service Delivery Plans to ensure visibility and to assist in informing service improvements. 8. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 8.1 The two stage process has been equality impact assessed at a National level. Locally, all aspects have been considered and assistance to navigate the complaints process is available for all customers. 9. Consultation 9.1 Not applicable to this report. 10. Strategic Assessment 10.1 Effective complaints handling contributes to all four Council strategic priorities. Amanda Graham Chief Officer - Citizen, Culture and Facilities Date: 6 November 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Person to Contact: Stephen Daly Citizen & Library Manager Citizen, Culture and Facilities Council Offices, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton 01389 737263 Appendices: Appendix 1 – SPSO Complaints Data
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Appendix 2 - Summary of Council Complaints 2024-25 Appendix 3 - Summary of HSCP Complaints 2024-25 Background Papers: None Wards Affected: All Wards
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