Brighton and Hove council attracts above average number of complaints but few are upheld

More people complain about Brighton and Hove City Council to the Local Government Ombudsman than about comparable councils.

But relatively few complaints are upheld the council’s Audit and Standards Committee was told this afternoon (Tuesday 21 January).

Brian Foley, the council’s standards and complaints manager, told the committee, which was meeting at Hove Town Hall: “Brighton and Hove is in the upper quartile when it comes to the number of complaints.

“It is difficult to know why Brighton and Hove gets more complaints than other local authorities.

“A lot of complaints are going to the ombudsman but proportionately very few are coming back with any finding of fault.

“I would draw your attention to the fact that there was only one finding of maladministration causing injustice in the past 18 months.

“In that case the service acted very promptly to deal with the transition of vulnerable people moving from one local authority to another local authority. It was largely about communication.”