Complaints to Kensington and Chelsea Council have soared by 40% in the last year, with housing issues leading the surge. The annual complaints report for 2025/26 reveals a total of 3,973 complaints were submitted, a significant increase from the previous year.
The report attributes the rise in complaints, in part, to changes in logging processes and the ongoing impact of a major cyber-attack in November 2025. This cyber incident disrupted Council systems, leading to delays in service delivery and a backlog of cases. Accepted complaints increased by 22% to 2,168.
Cyber-attack's Lingering Impact
The November 2025 cyber-attack had a significant impact across various departments, creating substantial backlogs and affecting service delivery. The attack incurred direct costs of £2.750 million for containment and initial recovery, with further significant expenditure anticipated for continued recovery and system modernization.
Key impacts included:
- Financial Performance: Delayed savings delivery and reduced income generation led to an overspend of £1.319 million in the Resources directorate.
- Housing Management: Rent arrears reporting was severely affected, with backlogs dating back to November 2025. While reporting functionality was largely restored by June 2026, key rent recovery tools remained unavailable.
- Complaints Handling: The attack contributed to a sharp decline in the timeliness of Stage 1 complaint responses, with only 55% met within the target of 10 working days, well below the 90% target. Backlogs and service disruption were cited as major reasons.
- Crisis and Resilience Fund (CRF): Implementation was delayed due to the cyber-attack affecting payment systems, impacting Crisis Payments and the transition from Discretionary Housing Payments to Housing Payments.
- Council Tax and Business Rates: Bills were not issued until May 2026, impacting collection rates, and recovery and enforcement activity was temporarily paused.
While 96% of systems were reported as restored by the end of summer 2026, with full restoration on track, additional resources are being deployed to address backlogs, particularly in Revenues and Benefits, with resolution expected by the end of 2026.
Housing Complaints Surge
Housing and Social Investment departments accounted for the largest volume of accepted complaints, with 1,357 cases, representing approximately 63% of the total. Housing Management alone received 921 complaints, while Housing Needs accounted for 433.
Within Housing Management, 81% of complaints were upheld or partially upheld. The primary drivers for these upheld complaints were communication issues (affecting 69% of cases with unclear timescales or unmanaged expectations) and delays in repairs (the root cause in 484 complaints, with 90% of these upheld). Specific repair issues included leaks, heating, and damp.
For Housing Needs, upheld complaints were most frequently related to the extent of assistance provided, service standards, and the time taken to make a decision.
Timeliness and Response Challenges
Timeliness in responding to complaints has been a significant challenge. Stage 1 complaint responses were only met within the target of 10 working days for 55% of cases, a sharp decline from 84% in the first quarter. The average response time for Stage 1 complaints across the council increased to 19 days, with Housing Needs cases averaging 46 days in the final quarter.
The significant decline in meeting response targets is primarily attributed to the cyber-attack disruption, increased complaint volumes, capacity pressures in resident-facing services, and system access issues. The increasing use of AI-generated submissions, which are often longer and more complex, has also contributed to longer response times.
To address this, the Council has revised corporate timescales, extending acknowledgment time to 5 working days and Stage 1 response time to 20 working days. A strengthened assessment and acknowledgement process has been implemented, along with updated template letters. Further development with AWS is being explored to improve AI support for triaging and root cause analysis. The Repairs Service has introduced an annual Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) programme for gutters, stacks, and gullies to proactively address common repair issues.
Redress Payments and Strategy
Redress payments made by the Council decreased to £94,182.74, down from £114,716.13 in the previous year. The average payment per case also fell from £287.51 to £223.64. This reduction suggests a shift towards using practical remedies and revised redress guidance rather than solely financial compensation. The Council's strategy for determining remedies aims to put the complainant in the position they would have been in had the fault not occurred, focusing on service improvements and lessons learned.
Future Priorities
For 2026/27, key priorities include completing an end-to-end review of the complaints process. This review, co-designed with residents and staff, aims to increase confidence in the Council's complaints process and ensure that past failings are not repeated. It involves understanding resident experiences, reviewing data and policies, and identifying areas for improvement. Implementation of changes, including an early resolution approach and a semi-centralised model for complaint management, is scheduled to begin in September 2026, with quarterly reporting for residents to be published on the Council's website.
The Council also plans to improve support for residents making complaints and introduce more regular performance reporting on its website.
Despite the increase in complaints, the Council received 318 compliments during the year, with Customer Delivery and Housing and Social Investment receiving the highest numbers, highlighting that positive service experiences were also reported.
