Most complained about councils in West Yorkshire revealed

Following an average 3.5% increase in council tax by the government, there is also an increase in the expectation of local councils throughout West Yorkshire.

In comparison to last year, complaints against the council rose by 25%, the survey by claims management company Claims.co.uk.

Over the past six years, Claims.co.uk investigated complaints data from the Local Government Ombudsman in order to discover which council serves its residents best.

Whilst Scarborough came in first with 26.2 complaints per 10,000 residents.

Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council came second with 22 complaints per 10,000 residents. Within Calderdale, the most common complaints are in relation to Education and Child Services.

The next West Yorkshire district to make the list was Kirklees Metropolitan Borough Council coming in eigth. The coucil had 15.5 complaints per 10,000 residents.

Wakefield City Council appears further down, coming in at number 11 with 13.5 complaints for every 10,000 residents. Similarly to Calderdale,

The most complained throughout the three West Yorkshire districts were in relation to Education and Child Services.

Education and Children's services is the highest complaint category within Yorkshire and the Humber, accumulating 1,688 between 2016 and 2022, according to the findings.

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

“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.”

In response to Claims.co.uk's data, Coun Jenny Lynn, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, said: “We take all complaints very seriously and always aim to respond to them quickly. Where possible, we try to resolve issues when they arise – sadly this is not always possible but it’s important to us to improve and we always implement the Ombudsman’s recommendations in all cases.

“There are a number of different ways people can contact the Council; the phone is just one way, and in line with our digital focus we encourage people to contact us online.”

Data courtesy of Claims.co.uk: available here.