The Children, Education and Families Information Briefing meeting was scheduled to discuss the Annual Complaints Report and a letter from the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman for the 2025/26 period. The report details the number of complaints received across various council departments, the outcomes of these complaints, and the financial consequences.

Annual Complaints Report and Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman Letter 2025/26

The meeting was scheduled to review the London Borough of Bromley's Annual Complaints Report for 2025/26, alongside a letter and data sheets from the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman (LG&SCO). This report is a statutory requirement for local authorities and provides an overview of complaints received and investigated by the council.

The report indicated a significant increase in the total number of complaints received by the council, excluding the Environment & Public Protection directorate, which rose by 31% compared to the previous year. Overall, 49% of complaints were fully or partially upheld, a 4% increase from the previous year. The timeliness of responses to complaints remained unchanged at 61%.

The report also detailed the number of referrals made to the LG&SCO, which rose by 25% to 216. Of these, 54 became the subject of an investigation, with 49 being upheld against the council. This resulted in an upheld rate of 91%, which was higher than the London average. The sole area of concern cited by the Ombudsman for Bromley was the timeliness in providing responses to their enquiries. However, the council reported an improvement in this area by the end of the first quarter of the 2026-27 business year, with performance improving from below 70% to 94% of responses being made on time.

The total financial consequences of upheld complaints amounted to £50,968.17, a 57% increase on the previous year. The report also included a section on compliments received, noting a 11% increase in the number of compliments received across various departments.

The report highlighted that the Council has an ethos of continuous improvement and is committed to using feedback to enhance services. It also noted that as of 1st June 2026, the Customer Relations service assumed conduct of all complaint handling for the entire council, a change from previous years where the Environment & Public Protection directorate oversaw their own complaints.

The report was presented for members to note, with no specific decisions scheduled to be made. The recommendations section stated: Members of the Committee are asked to note the report. ¹