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Report shows customer services progress being made by council

Posted on Friday 13th November 2020
Newport City Council has published its annual Compliments, comments and complaints report for 2019/20.

The report examines the positive and negative feedback from April 2019 to March 2020 that the council receives from residents across the range of services we provide.

Improvements made to the ‘My Newport’ platform in late 2018 have made it easier for residents to submit feedback to the council, and this has resulted in increased numbers across all three categories being recorded in the report.

Implementation of major changes to service delivery in high-profile areas such as civil parking enforcement and waste collection also contributed to increased feedback during the year.

Despite the increased number of comments and complaints received, the council has seen eight per cent reduction in the number of complaints progressing from stage one to stage two, and an eleven per cent reduction in the number of complaints being referred to the public services ombudsman for Wales.

Around a quarter of all complaints that were investigated were upheld in part or in full, a level that remains broadly similar to previous years.

During this period the council has also revised our complaints model, working closely with the complaints standards authority. Part of the ombudsman’s office, they have cited our model to other local authorities as an example of best practice.

The council has worked to implement a number of changes following feedback from residents. This includes amending our self-service platform to help us process requests for bin and recycling containers more quickly, and consulting residents for their views on how we make decisions regarding parking permits following feedback asking for more consistency.

Cllr David Mayer, cabinet member for communities and resources, said “To ensure we deliver the best possible public services for our city, resident feedback is critical. The improvements made to the My Newport system have made it much easier to feedback to us.

“It is positive to see the results of technology used to support residents. It provides meaningful and timely feedback to the council. The lessons learnt help the council to improve the way it provides services. This will continue to be our focus over the next 12 months. The council’s performance is strong in comparison to the rest of Wales, and I am pleased that we continue to improve thanks to our positive engagement with the ombudsman’s office. 

"I am pleased that those that move beyond stage one has decreased despite an increase in the overall number. Our officers work hard to resolve issues as quickly as possible and we continue to learn from the feedback and continue to improve our services.

“We expected an increase in comments because of the high profile changes we made to service delivery last year. However we are pleased that the level of complaints has been reduced despite major changes such as the introduction of smaller waste bins that will see an increase in the already record recycling rates across the city.”

The full report can be accessed here.

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