Lewisham Council is misclassifying thousands of resident issues, with a significant number of service requests being incorrectly logged as formal complaints. This practice inflates complaint numbers and distorts escalation rates, according to a report presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
The draft annual complaints report for 2025/26 revealed that the council's target for responding to complaints within set timescales was not met, with Stage One responses at 87.5% and Stage Two at 56%. The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) investigated 52 complaints about the council, with an upheld rate of 87% and financial remedies totalling £49,185.24.
Officers acknowledged that the misclassification often stems from a lack of clear contact methods for residents to report issues, leading them to use the complaints process as a default. The council defines a corporate complaint in line with the LGSCO's Complaint Handling Code as: An expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by Lewisham Council, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting an individual resident or group of residents.
However, the report indicates that many contacts are service requests rather than formal complaints. A service request is defined as a request for the Council to carry out a service it would normally provide as part of business as usual, such as reporting a missed bin collection, with response times based on service standards. In contrast, complaints have response times mandated by the LGSCO Code. Other types of enquiries include member enquiries, Freedom of Information (FOI) and Environmental Information Regulation (EIR) requests, and Subject Access Requests (SARs).
This issue was particularly noted in the Place directorate, where approximately 75% of Stage One responses were identified as service requests. The dispersed nature of the complaints function across different directorates also hinders effective complaint handling by leading to fragmentation, inconsistent routing, ownership, and local workarounds. This results in a lack of a stronger corporate framework, inconsistent case handling, more transfers between teams, and slower resolution of issues.
Key areas for improvement highlighted in the report include enhancing the triage of incoming contacts to accurately distinguish between service requests and formal complaints, improving the quality and timeliness of responses, and strengthening the process for learning from complaints to drive service improvements. The report also pointed to the dispersed nature of the complaints function across different directorates as a concern, raising questions about the adequacy of resources dedicated to handling complaints effectively.
To address these issues, the council is undertaking a Corporate Inquiries Transformation Project. Steps being taken include revamping the website as part of a 'no wrong front door' strategy, aligning website and call centre processes, and onboarding council tax and adult social care numbers into the call centre. The project also aims to improve proactive communication by making more information publicly available on the website and clearly explaining processes for services like ASB and statutory nuisance to manage resident expectations. Improving self-service options for residents is also a priority. While a fixed timeline is not explicitly stated, training for officers and members is being delivered through October, with ongoing monthly reviews.
The proposed solution to the dispersed complaints function is to explore and develop a hub-and-spoke operating model. This model aims to establish a clearer, more consistent approach underpinned by a common framework, defined responsibilities, and standard processes, while retaining flexibility for different statutory and directorate requirements. This is expected to improve resident, Member, and officer experience through clearer accountability, more consistent case handling, fewer transfers, and quicker resolution.
Councillor Claire Wills, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, emphasised the importance of consistency in training, triage, and communication, noting that the findings from the report would inform future service improvements. The full report can be found in the public reports pack for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 22nd September 2026.
