Hastings council defends criticism over new complaints procedure

The local authority decided on June 6, to centralised its system for recording complaints and the comments and complaints department deals with all complaints.

The ‘unreasonable and persistent’ complainants policy was also refreshed with a list of actions to ‘protect’ officers and ensure resources are used ‘appropriately’.

But some believe this is the council attempting to sideline troublesome complainants including Bernard McGinley who thinks the authority does not want to deal with them.

“The ‘refreshed’ complaints policy is a device to avoid answering awkward questions,” he said.

“Even obligations under the Freedom of Information Act are being ignored.

“This is all an affront to local democracy, and the council no longer deserve the benefit of any doubt.”

‘Persistent and vexatious’ complaints to the council have ‘markedly increased’ since the last time the council refreshed its policy in 2014 which led to the recent update.

The new system, called Firmstep, will centralise the complaints record and should make the process more efficient than when individual officers dealt with complaints.

Complainants must now register with the comments and complaints department before a relevant co-ordinator deals with the complaint within 10 working days.

The assistant director or director can provide a response if the complainant asks for their query to be reconsidered before going to the local government ombudsman.

For vociferous complainants, the council now has a list of actions it can take including refusing to register the complainant, placing time limits on phone calls and blocking email addresses.

A council spokesman said: “My Hastings is a new on line service where all customer interactions with the council can be managed using the Firmstep platform.

“Used by many local authorities Firmstep is a cost effective way to ensure residents receive excellent customer service.

“Though still in development it’s an easy way to engage residents with information that’s relevant to them, receive feedback and improve our service delivery.

“In Hastings, the system will provide easy ways for residents to contact the council about a number of issues and for the council to record data, including complaints.”

Mr McGinley believes the public’s trust in the council has been damaged and that is why more complaints are coming in.

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