Number of escalated corporate complaints to Bucks Council rises by 35%

It was revealed in a report presented to the Standard & General Purposes Committee yesterday (15/10).

The annual report provided an overview of complaints and compliments for the 2025/26 period, revealing a 35% increase in escalated corporate complaints to Bucks Council.

It showed the Council managed 2,315 Stage 1 complaints this year - compared with 2,259 in 2024/25 - and 617 Stage 2 complaints, compared with 456 in the previous year. 

The Complaints and Feedback Annual Report and Ombudsman Update also detailed a 41% rise in complaints which resulted in a financial remedy, with an increase from 100 to 141. It showed the Council paid £133,609.63 in financial remedies during 2025/26, compared with £114,751 in the previous year, but did show whilst the total value of remedies increased, the average remedy awarded per complaint reduced.

SEND also proved to be "the most significant local pressure" and accounted for a disproportionate share of escalated complaints, Ombudsman (independent government reviewer) findings and financial remedies. Of the 69 complaints upheld by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman, 63 related to SEND, with all but one resulting in a financial remedy.

In the Standard & General Purposes Committee meeting yesterday, concerns were also raised over the lack of a comprehensive costing figure, with no final figure for overall cost - including work hours given to dealing with complaints - provided.

Whilst Service Director of Business Operations at Bucks Council, Lloyd Jeffries, said going forward they could provide an estimate, Councillor Sherillyn Bateman said:

"Just from a business point of view I think it's quite shocking we don't actually work on a costs basis and we don’t have a better idea of what we’ve actually spent of residents taxpayer money on following through these cases or all cases. All our work should be timed and monitored, so I look forward to that changing in the future."

The report did note though that overall improvement activity is "already underway" through the Council's Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment Recovery Plan, which aims to improve timeliness, increase capacity and reduce delays.

Progress was already evident in one department though, with a new process introduced in June last year within Adult Social Care credited with causing a drop in escalated complaints.

The "one stage, two step” process the report mentions is said to focus on early resolution, with the a 50% reduction compared with the previous year observed for the 2025/26 period.   

The Council also received 652 compliments in 2025/26, an increase of 16 compared with 2024/25 delivery.

The full report, which also details complaint response times, can be found here (external).