We value all of the complaints, suggestions, and compliments we receive, and use them to improve the services we provide, and tell you about the changes we have made.
View the latest feedback
We produce an interactive dashboard showing all of the feedback we have received in the last quarter. You can use this to see a view of the council as a whole, or for individual services.
View our interactive dashboard
You can also view the most recent reports in the panel on the right hand side.
What have you been telling our services?
Select a service below to find out what feedback we have received, any themes or trends we have identified, and how we have acted on it.
Insufficient feedback received for a trend or theme to be identified during the period of the report.
No Service analysis received for inclusion in this report
Insufficient feedback received for a trend or theme to be identified during the period of the report.
Insufficient feedback received for a trend or theme to be identified during the period of the report.
| You said | We did |
|---|---|
| There was only one complaint which related to the inspection of building works being carried out, which the customer felt was not up to standard and that no planning application had been submitted. | The customer was contacted to advise that Building Regulations were in place for the build. |
No feedback received during this quarter via the corporate process.
No feedback received during this quarter via the corporate process.
No Service analysis received for inclusion in this report.
Insufficient feedback received for a trend or theme to be identified during the period of the report.
Insufficient feedback received for a trend or theme to be identified during the period of the report.
No feedback received during this quarter via the corporate process.
No feedback received during this quarter via the corporate process.
Insufficient feedback received for a trend to be identified during the period of the report.
Heritage Services received 3 complaints and 1 suggestion over Q4. These were in relation to the following:
Complaints
- Non-functioning CityScape map dispenser
- A refund for someone who was unable to use a ticket.
- Not being able to access appropriate toilets, and unhappiness with the behaviour of a member of staff
Suggestion
- The suggestion was to improve the outward appearance of 19, Old Bond Street.
| You said | We did |
|---|---|
| Complainant had paid to receive a CityScape map, but the carpark dispenser did not work, and there were no signs to advise customers that the dispenser was broken. | Forwarded complaint onto the Parking services, who advised they are working to get dispensers removed as soon as it can be resourced. A map was also provided and sent to the complainant address as requested. |
| Complainant had been told by front of house staff that they would need to contact Group Bookings team to receive a refund for an unused ticket, but the Roman Baths have a no-refund policy. | Group Bookings were already in the process of refunding the ticket when the complaint was received. The managers of the front of house staff were told to reinforce to staff that they must inform customers of the no-refund policy, as some staff currently try to redirect these enquiries to avoid customer conflict. The no-refund policy is however clear at the time of ticket purchase and customers must confirm they have read the conditions of purchase. |
|
A member of the public arrived with a family member with special needs to use the toilets at the Roman Baths. The toilets were being refurbished and so the complainant could not use them. There are other men’s facilities available; however, they are beyond the pay barrier, and Discovery Cards only allow free entry for one person, and not for someone to escort a non-card-holder to the toilets. Staff were not advised about the additional needs, and so did not direct them to the accessible toilet. The interaction between customer and staff became acrimonious, and the customer felt that the staff should be re-trained to handle customer interactions better. |
We investigated with staff, and received their accounts of the interaction (accounts were that the customer was hostile from the beginning of the interaction). We advised the customer her complaint was partially upheld, since there were accessible toilets available, although staff were not informed of the reasons why they were needed. |
| Complainant unhappy about 19, Old Bond Street looking unsightly before it undergoes renovation and thought it was off-putting to other visitors to the city. | Forwarded to the Property team. Advised complainant that the building needs to be secured before renovations begin, and that these security measures may be unsightly , but are temporary. Informed complainant that the work is part of the new vision for Bath and the highstreet rejuvenation that will come in tandem with the construction of the new Fashion Museum. |
No service analysis received for inclusion in this report.
Trends
This quarter, Housing received a total of 12 complaints. These were split according to the following departments:
- Homesearch (4)
- Options & Advice (3)
- Temporary Accommodation (2)
- Housing Standards (2)
- Enabling & Development (1)
The most common complaint categorisations were disagreeing with policy or procedure and dissatisfaction with the level of service.
Context
These types of complaints are expected, as these are primarily customer-facing departments. These complaints are dealt with on a case-by-case basis, according to individual customer circumstances. As noted in previous quarters, we are continuing to see a decline in the availability of affordable housing, and an increase in private rent levels due to pressures in the housing market and the cost-of-living crisis. This has proven to be a strain on resources, and it is expected that we will continue to see complaints of this nature as customers are faced with fewer affordable or accessible options.
We have seen an increase in complaints regarding our housing. In the past year the department has increased its own housing stock and has started to provide a mixture of social housing and temporary accommodation provision. This is the first time the council has owned stock in over 20 years, so some teething issues were expected. However, we are working closely with tenants to ensure that these issues are resolved quickly.
| You said | We did |
|---|---|
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The most common theme arising from complaints is that customers were unhappy with council policies and procedures. |
Housing Department policies are available online and we advise staff to direct customers to them. Staff have also been offering further clarifications if they are unclear. |
No feedback received during the period via the corporate process.
No feedback received during the period via the corporate process.
Complaints have revolved around having difficulty seeing department staff in person, and having to email or call them instead.
Customer services are being praised for being helpful, informative, and courteous to the residents/visitors regardless of their issue.
| You said | We did |
|---|---|
| Customers have complained about not being able to use a self-service payment machine for council invoices, and having to queue for the triage desk to do your business at the Library or One Stop Shop. |
We are working to make all of the ways you can access council financial services more visible and easy to use. We are in the process of finding out if we can provide more payment machines in key centres. |
| You said | We did |
|---|---|
| Complainant was unhappy with some parking suspensions put in place to support the installation of new replacement Pay & Display machines, including some delays in works being completed. |
We explained that the Pay and Display machines were over 30 years old, with different types of machines being in place across Bath & North East Somerset. We’ve been replacing the old with modern machines, to provide a consistent experience for users and to optimise reliability and continuity of service. The installation involved co-ordinating teams of different specialists, to ensure the work was completed safely and correctly. That these works were completed, and suspensions removed, as soon as practically possible. Signage is always put up in advance to help raise awareness of suspensions. We do appreciate though that works like this can be frustrating with some spaces temporarily unavailable and are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. We are happy to say that the works and changes are now complete. |
We received 16 complaints (two relating to matters we are not responsible for), and four compliments during the last quarter.
| You said | We did |
|---|---|
| 2 complaints regarding uncut grass | Customer was advised that the grass-cutting schedules have changed, and are published on our website. We apologised to another complainant about delays in cutting due to staff shortages; the grass in this case had been cut by the time of our reply. |
|
1 complaint about a closed play area |
Customer was advised that the play area was closed as the surface was slippery and that a notice would be put on the gates. |
| 3 complaints related to tree planting, maintenance and care |
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|
1 complaint about the closure of the Pavilion Café |
Customer advised that the café is not closing permanently, but is temporarily shut while tendering for a new operator. |
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4 complaints related to the behaviour of staff and contractors
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| 1 complaint about noisy parks maintenance equipment | We advised the customer that we are have already replaced much of our equipment with newer and quieter models, and are hoping to replace more soon, for less disruption when work is taking place. |
| 1 complaint about delays in receiving a quotation for grounds maintenance | The customer was advised that the staff member was on leave and the quote was sent on return from leave. |
|
1 complaint about the tidiness and frequency of grass cutting at Royal Victoria Park |
The customer was advised that there was always a team working in the park and that the grass cutting regime had not started due to the rain. |
| 4 compliments on how good the parks were looking | We work hard to maintain these spaces, and are always pleased to get feedback from members of the public. |
No feedback received during this quarter via the corporate process.
No feedback received during this quarter via the corporate process.
Planning complaints have been so case specific and also relatively infrequent (considering the number of cases determined) that there is no trend or theme.
No feedback received during this quarter via the corporate process.
No feedback received during this quarter via the corporate process.
Insufficient feedback (three complaints) received for a theme or trend to be identified during the period of this report.
| You said | We did |
|---|---|
|
Complaint about the views being expressed by a street preacher |
We advised that this was outside our remit, but that they should contact the police if they wished. |
| Complaint about a survey on policing that the customer felt obliged to complete | We advised the customer that this wasn't a B&NES survey, so we were unable to help. |
| Complaint about delay in response from Pest Control, when reporting a rat infestation | By the time we followed up this complaint with the customer, Environmental Health had visited the site. |
Insufficient feedback received for a trend or theme to be identified during the period of the report.
No feedback received during this quarter via the corporate process.
No feedback received during this quarter via the corporate process.
No feedback received during this quarter via the corporate process.
No service analysis received for inclusion in this report.
No service analysis received for inclusion in this report.
No service analysis received for inclusion in this report.
No service analysis received for inclusion in this report.
No service analysis received for inclusion in this report.
No service analysis received for inclusion in this report.