Appendix 1 - AnnualComplaintsReport2024-25 V0.1
Argyll and Bute Council · 4 September 2025
Back to Audit and Scrutiny Committee — 4 September 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL ANNUAL COMPLAINTS ANNUAL COMPLAINTS PERFORMANCE REPORT 2024/25
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Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL Contents Chief Executive’s Foreword ........................................................................................ 3 Introduction................................................................................................................. 4 Complaints Process ................................................................................................... 5 Indicator 1 – Complaints Received per 1,000 of Population ...................................... 6 Indicator 2 – Number of Complaints ........................................................................... 7 Indicator 3 – Complaint Outcomes Stage 1 ................................................................ 8 Indicator 3 – Complaint Outcomes Stage 2 ................................................................ 8 Indicator 3 – Complaint Outcomes Escalated Complaints ....................................... 10 Indicator 4 – Average Times .................................................................................... 11 Indicator 5 – Performance Against Timescales ........................................................ 13 Indicator 6 – Extensions to Timescales .................................................................... 15 Indicator 7 – Customer Satisfaction ......................................................................... 16 Indicator 8 – Learning from Complaints – Reporting ................................................ 17 Indicator 8 – Learning from Complaints – Improvements ......................................... 18 Complaints Investigated by the SPSO ..................................................................... 19 Complaint Themes ................................................................................................... 20 Positive Feedback .................................................................................................... 22 Contact Us ................................................................................................................ 24
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Page 3 Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL Chief Executive’s Foreword I am pleased to present Argyll and Bute Council’s Annual Complaints Report, which provides information about our performance in handling complaints from our customers between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. In July 2024, we successfully implemented the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman’s Child Friendly Complaints Procedure following the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) being incorporated into Scottish Law. Through this procedure, we can ensure that Children’s rights and needs are central to policy and decision making and ensure they are the primary decision makers on complaints (where they have the capacity to do so). Argyll and Bute Council is committed to providing high quality services for residents, businesses and visitors in our area and an important part of this commitment is to ensure we have effective processes in place to resolve matters when things go wrong. We strive to be thorough, transparent, objective and fair in our approach to complaints, and to make it as easy as possible for customers to access our complaints procedure through our website, by email, over the telephone or in person. I understand it can be disappointing and frustrating when your expectations’ are not met but we welcome and value complaints and feedback from our customers as it allows us to learn from the issues reported to us to improve the quality of the services we provide. Some examples of those improvements made are included within this report. It has been a challenging year and I thank all the staff in my organisation for doing what they do best and going the extra distance to provide the best possible services and support to the people of Argyll and Bute. Pippa Milne Chief Executive – Argyll and Bute Council
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Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL What is a complaint? A complaint is ‘an expression of dissatisfaction about the Council’s action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided by or on behalf of the Council’. Introduction Argyll and Bute Council, along with all other Scottish Local Authorities, follow a model complaints handling procedure which is determined by the Scottish Public Sector Ombudsman (SPSO). This report presents how Argyll and Bute Council has performed against eight key performance indicators set by the SPSO that are used by all 32 local authorities, and provides some details about improvements to our services, along with some positive feedback from our customers. Complaints process Complaints can be either Stage 1, which are usually straightforward issues and must be dealt within 5 days or less, or Stage 2, which are usually about more complex or serious issues and can take up to 20 days for a response to be provided. If a customer is not happy with a Stage 2 response, they can refer their complaint on to the SPSO, who will look at the issues raised and can investigate the matter. Stage 1 Stage 2 SPSO In most cases, a complaint will be made because the customer considers that the Council has: • Done something wrong • Failed to live up to expectations • Treated someone badly or unfairly The process map on the following page outlines our process.
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Page 5 Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL Complaints Process
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Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL INDICATOR 1 – COMPLAINTS RECEIVED PER 1,000 OF POPULATION This section details the total number of complaints handled by Argyll and Bute Council between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025. To allow a fair comparison to be made across all 32 Scottish councils, this indicator looks at the figure of “complaints per 1,000 of population”. This means there were 9.6 complaints per 1,000 population, or roughly 1 resident in 104 made a complaint about our services. A comparison of this indicator over the past 3 years is shown in the table below. Year No. of Complaints Complaints Per 1,000 Population 2024/25 830 9.6 2023/24 781 9.1 2022/23 686 8.0 In 2024/2025 Argyll and Bute received, processed and closed 830 complaints. The population of Argyll and Bute is estimated at around 86,220
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Page 7 Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL INDICATOR 2 – NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS This indicator provides information about the number of complaints received at Stages 1 and 2, and the escalated complaints (when a customer is not satisfied with a stage 1 response, and it goes on to be dealt with as stage 2). 566* complaints were closed at Stage 1 – 70% 184* complaints were closed at Stage 2 – 21% 80 complaints were closed after escalation – 9% *7 complaints were not closed at Stage 1 within 10 days and were escalated to Stage 2. *1 Complex Complaint at Stage 2 has not been closed at time of reporting due to an extension being applied. The graph below shows a comparison between the number of complaints received at each stage over the past 3 years. 566 185 79 544 163 74 467 138 81 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 Stage 1 Stage 2 Escalated No. of Complaints 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25
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Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL Upheld 34% Partially Upheld 21% Not Upheld 39% Resolved 6% 2024/2025 Outcomes 192 148 131 115 130 101 218 197 172 34 57 49 2024/25 2023/24 2022/23 Stage 1 Outcomes - 3 Year Comparison Upheld Partially Upheld Not Upheld Resolved INDICATOR 3 – COMPLAINT OUTCOMES STAGE 1 With every complaint, we contact the customer and explain what the outcome of their complaint was — Upheld, Not Upheld or Partially Upheld — and provide details about how this decision was made. The charts below provide a comparison of the outcomes for this year, and over the past 3 years. The “resolved” outcome was introduced with the new complaints handling procedure in April 2021, and is used when positive action can be taken to resolve the issue for the customer. 192 complaints were Upheld at Stage 1 – 34% 115 complaints were Partially Upheld at Stage 1 – 21% 218 complaints were Not Upheld at Stage 1 – 39% 34 complaints were Resolved at Stage 1 – 6%
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Page 9 Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL Upheld 18% Partially Upheld 30% Not Upheld 50% Resolved 2% 2024/2025 Outcomes 33 23 22 56 63 55 92 72 55 3 1 5 2024/25 2023/24 2022/23 Stage 2 Outcomes - 3 Year Comparison Upheld Partially Upheld Not Upheld Resolved INDICATOR 3 – COMPLAINT OUTCOMES STAGE 2 33 Complaints were Upheld at Stage 2 – 18% 56 Complaints were Partially Upheld at Stage 2 – 30% 92 Complaints were Not Upheld at Stage 2 – 50% 3 Complaints were Resolved at Stage 2 – 2%
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Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL Upheld 28% Partially Upheld 30% Not Upheld 41% Resolved 1% 2024/25 - Outcomes 22 22 2524 18 17 32 33 37 1 1 2 2024/25 2023/24 2022/23 Escalated Outcomes - 3 Year Comparison Upheld Partially Upheld Not Upheld Resolved INDICATOR 3 – COMPLAINT OUTCOMES ESCALATED COMPLAINTS When a customer is not happy with a Stage 1 response, it is dealt with as a Stage 2 complaint — these are known as “Escalated Complaints”. 22 complaints were Upheld after escalation - 28% 24 complaints were Partially Upheld after escalation – 30% 32 complaints were Not Upheld after escalation – 41% 1 complaint was Resolved after escalation – 1%
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Page 11 Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL INDICATOR 4 – AVERAGE TIMES Stage 1 – We aim to respond to and close all Stage 1 complaints within 5 working days. In 2024/2025, we closed 559 complaints at Stage 1, with a total sum of 2,505 working days used to close them. Our average time to close a Stage 1 complaint was 4.5 working days. The figures for the last 3 years can be seen in the table below. Year No. of Complaints Closed Total Days Average Time (days) 2024/25 559 2505 4.5 2023/24 532 2337 4.4 2022/23 453 1,995 4.4 Stage 2 – We aim to respond to and close all Stage 2 complaints within 20 working days. In 2024/2025, we closed 184 complaints at Stage 2, with a total sum of 4,087 working days used to close them. Our average time to close a Stage 2 complaint was 22.2 working days. The figures for the last 3 years can be seen in the table below. Year No. of Complaints Closed Total Days Average Time (days) 2024/25 184 4,087 22.2 2023/24 159 3,587 22.6 2022/23 137 2367 17.3 Monthly performance reporting is provided to all Heads of Service, Directors and Complaints Officers to allow them to take action with their Services if required.
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Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL Indicator 4 – Average Times After Escalation – in 2024/2025, we closed 79 escalated complaints after Escalation, with a total sum of 1,607 working days. Our average time to close a complaint after Escalation was 20.3 working days. The last three year’s results can be seen below. Year No. of Complaints Closed Total Days Average Time (days) 2024/25 79 1,607 20.3 2023/24 74 1,643 22.2 2022/23 81 1671 20.6
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Page 13 Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL INDICATOR 5 – PERFORMANCE AGAINST TIMESCALES Stage 1 – We aim to respond to and close all Stage 1 complaints within 5 working days. In 2024/2025, we closed 559 complaints at Stage 1 with 465 of these within timescale, or 83%. 35 (6%) were closed after an extension was agreed with the customer. No. of Complaints Closed Within Timescale % No. with Extension % 2024/25 559 465 83% 35 6% 2023/24 532 442 83% 37 7% 2022/23 453 370 82% 23 5% Stage 2 – we aim to respond to and close all Stage 2 complaints within 20 working days. In 2024/2025, we closed 184 complaints at Stage 2, with 110 of these within timescale, or 60%. 38 (21%) were closed after an extension was agreed with the customer. No. of Complaints Closed Within Timescale % No. with Extension % 2024/25 184 110 60% 38 21% 2023/24 159 100 63% 38 24% 2022/23 137 65 47% 33 24% Complaints with extensions agreed do not count as within timescale, these are reported as late responses.
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Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL Indicator 5 – Performance Against Timescales After Escalation – in 2024/2025, we closed 79 complaints after Escalation, with 54 of these within timescale, or 68%. 12 (15%) were closed after an extension was agree with the customer. No. of Complaints Closed Within Timescale % No. with Extension % 2024/25 79 54 68% 12 15% 2023/24 74 44 59% 12 16% 2022/23 81 46 57% 23 28%
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Page 15 Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL INDICATOR 6 – EXTENSIONS TO TIMESCALES Part of the complaints handling procedure includes the option to seek an extension to the usual 5 or 20 day timescale, which should be agreed with the customer. This indicator reports the number and percentage of complaints at each stage which were closed after an extension to the 5 or 20 day timeline was authorised. Stage 1 35 Extensions agreed 6% of total complaints Escalated complaints 12 extensions agreed 15% of total complaints Stage 2 38 extensions agreed 21% of total complaints
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Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL INDICATOR 7 – CUSTOMER SATISFACTION Our customers are automatically issued with a short complaints process satisfaction survey once their complaint has been closed. The survey asks for feedback about the complaints process, and gives an opportunity to send us suggestions for improvements. The survey results are reviewed by the Complaints Co-ordinators quarterly, and the feedback can be used to improve how we handle complaints. We received 91 responses to our survey during the year, which is just over 13% of all complaints received. A low response rate makes it difficult to get an accurate picture of how all of our customers feel about the complaints process. 75% of customers indicated that they found it easy to make a complaint 68% of customers indicated they were told if the response was going to take longer than the set timescales 77% of customers indicated that information about the complaints procedure was easily accessible. 64% of customers indicated that they were given the opportunity to fully explain their complaint. From our review of the feedback provided through the surveys, we recognise that customers are often frustrated when an ongoing issue is not resolved through the complaints process.
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Page 17 Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL INDICATOR 8 – LEARNING FROM COMPLAINTS – REPORTING Who looks at our complaints figures and trends? Information about complaints figures and corrective action taken is reported regularly to senior managers and a quarterly report is submitted to the Strategic Management Team. This process ensures the appropriate level of scrutiny takes place. Quarterly performance against the performance indicators is reported to the Local Authority Complaints Handlers Network (LACHN). We are also required to report our complaints figures to the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman (SPSO) by publishing our annual report. How we report Complaints Performance and Trends to our Customers We publish the quarterly and annual reports on our website: Complaints | Argyll and Bute Council (argyll-bute.gov.uk)
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Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL INDICATOR 8 – LEARNING FROM COMPLAINTS – IMPROVEMENTS By dealing with complaints on a day-to-day basis, our Officers are able to make adjustments to processes when issues are raised. In general, no major policy or procedural changes were required in response to complaints, however, a number of minor changes or actions were taken in order to improve our services. Whilst these improvements may have been minor in the overall scale of activities within the Council, it is our hope that they have made significant changes to the quality of service received by our customers. Examples of some of these changes are shown below: Departmental Complaints Co-ordinators attend regular meetings where learning points from the SPSO are shared and discussed. The feedback and suggestions from customer satisfaction surveys are also reviewed, and any potential improvement ideas are investigated and taken forward where appropriate. Customer wanted to make a complaint about the lack of response received following an email being sent to a member of staff. Complaint Partially Upheld – Customer was advised that unfortunately the member of staff that had been emailed was unexpectedly absent from work. It was identified that a process was required to be implemented, whereby should a member of staff be absent unexpectedly, arrangements should be made by the manager with IT colleagues to ensure either an Out of office message with alternate contact details is placed on the account or the Manager is granted access to access the absent staff members mailbox. This will ensure that any correspondence can be redirected as appropriate. Customer complaint in relation to the use of acronyms in reports that were available for the public and the lack of glossary included. Complaint Fully Upheld – While it is common practise when writing reports that the relevant term is used in full when first referenced with the acronym defined before it is then used within the remainder of the report, it was acknowledged that this does not always happen. It was identified that there was no specific reference to the use of acronyms within report guidance. The guidance was updated and issued to Officers involved in report writing to ensure this does not reoccur. Customer wanted to make a complaint about being unable to report a Missed Bin on the website. Complaint Resolved – It was identified that the issue stemmed from the Home Telephone Number being a mandatory field within the Webform and the customer not having one. The Webform was updated to remove the requirement for this information and the customer was advised that this had been updated. This will ensure that no other customers are faced with the same problem.
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Page 19 Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL COMPLAINTS INVESTIGATED BY THE SPSO When a customer is not satisfied with our final response to a complaint, they can take it to the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman (SPSO) and ask for the complaint to be investigated. The SPSO is the final arbiter for complaints about public services. Cases passed to SPSO during 2024/2025 27 cases were received by the SPSO in relation to Argyll and Bute Council in 2024/2025. The SPSO publishes reports about all the organisations it has involvement with. More information is available from Statistics 2024-25 | SPSO 8 – Advice (not progressed) - 1 was mature (complaint was out with the time period for raising the complaint), 5 were premature (complainant contacted the SPSO before progressing through full complaints process) and 4 were enquiries. 27 - resolved early (not investigated) — the SPSO asks the Council to provide information in connection with the complaint, from that the investigating officer decides whether the complaint should be pursued further. Some of the reasons provided for not proceeding to an investigation were “Good Complaint Handling” and “Insufficient benefit would be achieved”. 0 – Investigations by the SPSO, however, there was 1 investigation in which we received an outcome of Fully Upheld from a 2023/24 Complaint.
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Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL COMPLAINT THEMES We record information about what type of complaints we receive, and have a standard set of categories that complaints generally fall into. The chart below shows how the complaints received have been classified during 2024-25. *Note – the total here does not directly correspond with the total number of complaints, due to how escalated complaint categories are recorded 23 42 26 155 34 311 172 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 Damage/Injury Inadequate Information Late Delivery Non Delivery Policy Restriction Substandard Delivery Unacceptable Behaviour Number of Complaints
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Page 21 Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL 64 55 50 45 41 39 37 35 32 30 24 21 18 14 14 14 12 12 12 12 9 9 9 9 9 8 8 8 7 7 6 6 5 5 5 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 Staff Issue - Conduct Domestic Refuse Collection Staff Issue - Communication Education - Other Social Work Decisions Missed Bin Education - Treatment of Child Parking Services Council Tax Other Planning Applications Council Service Error Council Decision Ground Maintenance Cemeteries Street Lighting Failure of Care Winter Maintenance Quality of Care Public Conveniences Pavements/Footpaths Recycling Public Transport Road Closure Staff Issue - Other Traffic Management Commercial Refuse Enforcement Council Payments Road Works Licensing Social Work Reports Play Parks School Transport Care Funding Piers & Harbours No. of Complaints We have also captured information about what we believe the main theme of each complaint to be. This information will be provided (along with other levels of analysis) to our Elected Members and Senior Management to allow them to take this into consideration when making policy and service decisions. The chart below shows the main issues we have received complaints about. It includes all complaints where we received 5 or more in connection with a particular issue.
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Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL POSITIVE FEEDBACK Service was fantastic all dealt with in one phone call. Were very professional. A lot of councils in the UK generally should take heed of the quality of service received today and a credit to the ladies, that's all I’ve got to say. Here is a short message to compliment the awesome professional conduct of the team - [1] was patient and understanding, took time to listen, [2] immediately understood the situation and grasped the bigger picture [3] was genuinely considerate and showed knowledge and expertise, [4] relieved my anxiety and stress. please commend team. The person I dealt with was very professional very kind and helped me very much with my Council Tax query today and I'm very grateful for the assistance and you're very lucky to have such nice people working for you. All the best for 2025 many thanks bye now. Fabulous. The lady I spoke to was extremely helpful which at this moment in time at the age we are it was very rewarding to get this help. We are in our eighties and I got the help I needed the girl was absolutely fantastic. Thank you Here is just a small extract of the positive feedback that we have received this year. It is important to recognise that excellent services are being delivered, often in very challenging circumstances. For all the years I have dealt with Local Authorities, I have never received such excellent customer service and felt compelled to send you an email. I contacted Building Control to resolve an outstanding issue with a house we were about to purchase. The positive attitude, engagement and problem solving were second to none in helping us resolve a complex building warrant issue. Please kindly pass on my recommendation and appreciation! We are delighted to be moving to such a "welcoming" local authority!
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Page 23 Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL The young lady the employee of yours in the bin collections department was very caring, kind, respectful and gave me wonderful care and service she should be getting 11 out of 10 for customer care. Many thanks for all your help dear 11 out of 10 for customer care, wonderful. Thank you very much. The person I dealt with was very professional very kind and helped me very much with my Council Tax query today and I'm very grateful for the assistance and you're very lucky to have such nice people working for you. All the best for 2025 many thanks. Fabulous. Just a quick email to pass on our sincere gratitude with all your help these past few days. You have gone above and beyond and we can't thank you enough. A wee note of thanks for attending to all of the local government departments following the death of my wife. Your kind attention to this removed a great deal of stress from my shoulders at a time of loss. Thanks again. I spoke with the lady and she was really, really kind I get really worried when letters come in and I can't do things online I can't manage it and she explained everything very quietly and patiently and kindly so that's put my mind at ease and I'm very grateful to her so she's very good employee so thank you very much. The representative that I spoke with today was absolutely 100% helpful, professional, a really, really, nice person to deal with and I wouldn’t hesitate to call her back again if I had any queries as such a nice person. A credit to Argyll & Bute Council. Thank you.
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Bute • Helensburgh • Islay • Oban • Mull • Campbeltown • Iona • Dunoon • Tiree • Lochgilphead • Seil … Classification: OFFICIAL CONTACT US Thank you for looking at our annual complaints report for 2024-25. If you would like to know more about our complaints procedure, details can be found on our website: https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/my-council/complaints Or you can contact us using any of the methods below. Phone – 01546 605522 Text – 07860023933 Post – Argyll and Bute Council, Kilmory, Lochgilphead, Argyll, PA31 8RT Email - enquiries@argyll-bute.gov.uk Online - https://www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/my-council/how-contact-us