These are the most complained about councils in Sussex, according to new data

Keen to find out, Claims.co.uk investigated 2016 to 2022 complaints data from the Local Government Ombudsman to uncover the most complained about councils in Sussex.

Each council’s complaints data from mid-2016 to 2022 was obtained from the Local Government Ombudsman, which elucidates the type of complaints received as well as the number of complaints upheld against each council (whether the complaint was acted upon and a resolution was obtained).

The complaints were broken down into different categories (Adult Social Care, Benefits & Tax, Corporate & Other Services, Education & Children’s Services, Environmental Services, Public Protection & Regulation, Highways & Transport, Housing, Planning & Development).

Adult social care is Sussex’s highest complaint category, accumulating 668 complaints from 2016 to 2022 - 4% more than education and children’s services at 641 complaints, and 12.7% more than planning and development (583 complaints).

The experts then extracted each council area’s population size from an official ONS database and calculated the number of complaints per 10,000 residents in each area.

Councils with a population size below 10,000 and have insufficient data were excluded from the study, resulting in a total of 321 councils remaining in the final data set.

Subsequently, Claims.co.uk summed each council’s upheld figures over the last six years (2016-2022) and divided it by the total number of complaints received, to find each council’s uphold rate.

The total number of complaints received by each council per 10,000 residents was ranked in descending order to determine which council area has the most disgruntled residents.

George Patton, spokesperson from Claims.co.uk offered guidance on making complaints to your local authorities.

He said: “Council tax has increased by an average of £67 for Band D properties this year amid the cost of living squeeze. Along with the tax hike are residents’ rising expectations towards their local authorities to provide better services.

“Hence, although taking on your council might seem daunting, it’s vital to know your right as a resident and speak out if you feel that your council has failed to deliver a service.

“Your first step should always be contacting the service provider in question. And if you are not happy with the solution provided, the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) will come as a final resort. Be sure not to delay and lodge your complaints as soon as possible.

“Moreover, stay polite throughout the process and provide clear evidence to support your claim as the LGO’s decision is final - your case won’t be reviewed again unless new evidence comes to light.”