Tower Hamlets Council is set to increase staffing levels to enhance its customer service, a move prompted by concerns raised during a recent Overview & Scrutiny Committee meeting. Chief Executive Steven Halsey acknowledged the need for more personnel to manage the high volume of inquiries and improve resident access to council services.
Councillor Nathalie Bienfait voiced significant concerns regarding customer service, the overwhelming number of member inquiries, and the difficulties residents face in contacting the council. In response, Mr Halsey admitted that the council requires additional staff to answer phones, alongside crucial improvements to its IT infrastructure and the establishment of more accessible, local, face-to-face contact points. We need more people basically picking up the phone that can get through to those officers in departments that have responsibility for addressing the issues,
Halsey stated.
The discussion took place during a review of the council's strategic delivery performance for the third quarter of the financial year, as detailed in the Strategic Delivery and Performance Report Year 4 Q3 Strategic Delivery and Performance Report Year 4 Q3. While some services are performing well, others require urgent attention. Notably, the percentage of tenants satisfied with the overall service (KPI 054) and the percentage of tenants satisfied that their home is safe (KPI 055) were both rated as 'red', indicating they are below target.
To address the specific issue of tenant satisfaction with home safety, the council is implementing a new ASB policy, improving damp and mould response times, and enhancing fire safety measures. Analysis of Q3 responses revealed that anti-social behaviour (ASB), particularly related to drug-taking and unauthorized access to buildings, was the leading driver of dissatisfaction. Outstanding repairs and damp and mould concerns, along with issues related to the quality of doors and windows, were also significant contributing factors.
Mr Halsey also highlighted the disproportionately high volume of member inquiries the council receives compared to other London local authorities. He assured that efforts are underway to address capacity issues and expedite response times for various requests, including Freedom of Information requests, Subject Access Requests, and corporate complaints. He emphasised the importance of actively listening to residents' preferences for service delivery and basing improvements on factual data rather than anecdotal evidence. We need to be listening to residents as to how they want to be served,
Halsey stated. We also need to make sure that we're working on fact, that we're working on data, not hearsay, not that somebody has found it difficult, but actually we get thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands inquiries a year, and we need to be able to track them more effectively than we do at the moment so that we can allocate resource to address any weaknesses or challenges.
The council's commitment to data-driven improvements is crucial for effectively allocating resources to address identified weaknesses and challenges within its services. The full details of the council's performance and budget monitoring can be found in the Public reports pack 23rd-Mar-2026 18.30 Overview Scrutiny Committee.
