Forum Topic

Ealing worst Outer London borough for complaints

Not quite sure about the front page report concerning complaints received by the Local Government Ombudsman for Ealing.The LGO website focuses far more on the number of complaints decided upon rather than received.http://www.lgo.org.uk/publications/annual-report/See detailed complaint stats.The number for Ealing in 2010/2011 was 129 – higher by 21% than the previous year.  As with the previous year there are only three boroughs in London which have higher figures. That is a far worse indictment than the front page report suggests, and the report forgets that Law For All closed - which may have contributed to lower numbers received. Furthermore Ealing is an Outer London Borough. In that category it has the highest number of complaints decided against it – in other words it is by far the worst of all Outer London Boroughs.So if the Chief Exec and the Chief lawyer plus Julian Bell want their Council to make Ealing a better place to live in by providing an improved standard of service, then they need to buck up or resign.

George Knox ● 5187d6 Comments

This lot aren't really good with ANY numbers are they?

Nigel Brooks ● 5162d

According to the Local Government Ombudsman’s website (complaint stats by type of local authority) Ealing is 30th in the rankings of 33 London Boroughs. But the shifty answer in Council Written Questions and Answers – 31st January 2012 was that the Council said it was the 29th. That is because Ealing Council slipped in the Greater London authority figure. Comparing the GLA with London boroughs is like comparing apples with pears, and was not called for in the original question.For 2010/11 the Council agreed with my figure (in my first post above)                    totalling 129.  But typically they did not quote the figure for the previous year 2009/10. That figure totalled 107. The Council’s written answer commented as follows:-“but are pleased the number has dropped consistently since 2010”.Unless there is some obscure explanation, the Council has been misled by a Labour Cabinet Councillor for Community Services providing the comment to the shadow Tory Councillor. Readers can draw their own inferences from the standards of this occurrence. Let’s hope the record in the Council will be put straight in writing.Referenceshttp://www2.ealing.gov.uk/ealing3/export/sites/ealingweb/services/council/committees/agendas_minutes_reports/council/24may2011-15may2012/_31_january_2012/council_written_questions_31_jan_12.pdfhttp://www.lgo.org.uk/publications/annual-report/

George Knox ● 5162d

So that makes it OK then?Barnet is a very large borough and has much lower figures for the last two reported years.If you were disabled and the council changed the access to your block of flats and took two years to adapt the system before you you could again get in and out unaided, you would certainly be on enquiry about standards in that department.So is Cllr Hitesh Tailor and the Director of Housing working on improving standards in their portfolio? If not why pay them?

George Knox ● 5186d

Ealing has one of the highest populations out of the London boroughs - a not entirely irrelevant factor to take into consideration when quoting raw numbers of complaints I think.

Mike Brittan ● 5186d

Housing had the greatest number. The others were transport planning and education.I believe this pattern is fairly universal.

George Knox ● 5187d

doubt n e of them will resign. no matter how basd it gets. not much call for redundant chiefs in the shrinking public sector in the case of chief exec. john bell isnt going to pass up his chances for a crack at a labour seat if he gets sharma reelected for ealing southall mp. what interests me is what the complaints were about. are there n e patters? how many were dismissed or upheld and how many remain to be resolved?

John Newen ● 5187d