"“Whenever we receive findings or complaints by the Ombudsman, these are dealt with by the relevant department," say Peterborough City Council after figures showed they received 48 complaints in one year.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman published its annual review into local government complaints from 2023-24.

The figures in the review break down the number of complaints received into different categories. They are: Adult Social Care; Benefits and Tax; Corporate and Other Services; Education and Children's Services; Environmental Services, Public Protection and Regulation; Highways and Transport; Housing; Planning and Development and Other.

Number of complaints received by Peterborough City Council

Peterborough City Council received 48 complaints between 2023-2024. Here is the breakdown of the complaints:

  • 7 complaints into Adult Social Care
  • 8 complaints into Benefits and Tax
  • 2 complaints into Corporate and Other Services
  • 14 complaints into Education and Children's Services
  • 5 complaints into Environmental Services, Public Protection and Regulation
  • 2 complaints into Highways and Transport
  • 6 complaints into Housing
  • 4 complaints into Planning and Development 

From these figures, it's clear that Education and Children's Services were the most-complained issues for Peterborough City Council.

Peterborough Matters put these figures to Peterborough City Council. A spokesperson said: "Whenever we receive findings or complaints by the Ombudsman, these are dealt with by the relevant department who look to carry out any actions required and recognise any learnings highlighted, helping to reduce similar issues occurring in future."

Of the 48 complaints that the Council received, eight of them were upheld. Six of them had an outcome recorded during 2023-24. 

The Ombudsman was satisfied that 100 per cent of the complaints were dealt with using their recommendations.

Number of complaints received by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority

The Combined Authority was one of the best performing councils in the review, with only two complaints reported from 2023-24.

There was one complaint over Benefits and Tax, and another over Corporate and Other Services.