Council report shows complaints have risen but fewer are upheld

Derbyshire County Council says its efforts to improve services are beginning to pay off, with fewer complaints being upheld and more residents receiving responses within the authority’s target timescales.

The council’s annual Complaints, Compliments and Feedback Report shows that while the number of complaints rose by 18.9% to 2,214 during 2025/26, the proportion upheld or partially upheld fell from 29.4% to 21.1%. 

Response times also improved, with 57.4% of complaints answered within the council’s 28-day target, up from 50.9% the previous year. 

The authority handles a significant volume of enquiries each year, including around 20,000 calls every month through its Call Derbyshire contact centre and more than 90,000 highways enquiries annually. 

During 2025/26, the council also received 1,002 compliments from residents praising its services, although this was down from 1,081 the previous year. 

The most common reasons for complaints were the standard of service, decisions made by the council and communication. 

Councillor Stephen Reed, the council’s cabinet member for business services, said the authority was taking action to improve communication, reduce delays and strengthen services. He said: 

“We know residents expect high-quality services from us and when we don’t get things right it’s important that we listen, learn and improve. 

“Unfortunately, as demand continues to rise on all our services we are never going to be in a position where there are no complaints, and it is absolutely right that if residents are unhappy with services they should let us know about it so we can do something about it. 

“That’s why we’ve already taken action across the board to improve communication, reduce delays and strengthen services with the aim of improving residents’ experiences of dealing with the council, and some of this work is already showing positive results. 

“We remain committed to learning from every complaint and making lasting improvements, but we acknowledge there is always more work to do.” 

The report highlights concerns around children’s services, particularly support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including delays in Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs). 

The council said improvement work included recruiting additional staff, providing more specialist placements and support, improving communication with families and strengthening the monitoring of EHCP performance. 

Cllr Reed said: “We recognise that many of the complaints around our services for children relate to the support we offer for families and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. 

“Complaints highlight areas where we need to do better and, while we are starting to see improvements in this area, we know there is more to do to ensure families receive the service they deserve. 

“Over the past year, we have introduced significant changes, including increasing staffing capacity, strengthening processes, and making changes to reduce delays in the Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) process. We have also focused on improving communication and engagement with children, young people and their families.” 

In Adult Social Care and Health, complaints reflected sustained demand on services and changes to care provision for older people. 

Cllr Reed said the rise in complaints in this area had been anticipated and related to the council’s decision to remodel its in-house care services and close eight care homes. 

Measures introduced to improve services include reviewing upheld complaints to identify lessons, providing clearer information about charges and financial assessments, and resolving concerns earlier. 

The department also improved its complaint response performance, with the proportion answered within target timescales rising from 75% to 89% over the past year. 

The council’s Place department, which includes highways, received the fewest complaints. It answered 99.7% of complaints within target timescales, with issues raised including highways and home-to-school transport. 

The department has committed to improving communication and keeping customers better informed about their enquiries. 

The council’s Corporate Services and Transformation department received no complaints during 2025/26. 

The report also highlights feedback received by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO). The Ombudsman received 203 complaints and enquiries about the council during the year, compared with 197 in 2024/25. Of these, 52 were upheld. 

Most related to children’s services, particularly SEND and education matters. The council said it accepted all the Ombudsman’s recommendations and complied with all 44 recommendations made during the year. 

Alongside complaints, the report highlights positive feedback from residents, including praise for the care and support provided by social care teams, the positive impact of children’s services, the professionalism of Call Derbyshire staff and the commitment of highways teams. 

If agreed by Cabinet, the annual report will be followed by a further assurance report within three months to track progress against the improvement measures introduced across council departments.