Communities
This year saw 71 contacts received from the public expressing dissatisfaction with the services delivered by communities. This analysis includes:
- countryside access
- cultural services
- waste services (excluding transport)
The total complaints raised for communities accounts for 6% of all contacts received.
Communities complaints received per quarter (excluding transport):
| Quarter | 2023 to 2024 | 2024 to 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| One | 48 | 26 |
| Two | 26 | 22 |
| Three | 8 | 13 |
| Four | 14 | 10 |
Communities have seen a steady decline in complaints received since the beginning of 2023 to 2024. Service managers have been proactive in working alongside customer relations when trends have become apparent in this service area, particularly with regards to waste services.
Context
Waste services have provided tonnage figures for 2024 to 2025. This helps is to understand the volume of complaints in comparison to site usage.
| Household waste recycling centre (HWRC) | 2024 to 2025 tonnage | Complaints received |
|---|---|---|
| Tattershall | 3302.20 | 19 |
| Bourne | 5352.83 | 3 |
| Gainsborough | 4278.86 | 3 |
| Grantham | 6625.21 | 4 |
| Lincoln (Great Northern Terrace) | 9708.19 | 10 |
| Market Rasen | 3497.55 | 2 |
| Sleaford | 5547.43 | 3 |
| Spalding | 7807.51 | 1 |
| Boston | 6444.47 | 9 |
| Louth | 6961.13 | 9 |
| Skegness | 4954.44 | 0 |
Although Tattershall had the lowest tonnage figures for the year, this site received the most complaints, with 19 in total. Lincoln (Great Northern Terrace) had the highest tonnage figures for the year, and received the second highest number of complaints, with 10 in total.
The following shows where fault was found in complaints that were upheld and the aspects of those complaints partially upheld.
- not upheld – 27%
- partially upheld – 41%
- upheld – 32%
Over 2024 to 2025, 19 (27%) complaints raised did not identify any fault with the service that was delivered. However, 29 complaints (41%) were partially upheld, with 23 complaints (32%) fully upheld.
Further analysis of these complaints shows the below reasons where fault was identified with the service delivered.
Reason for complaint where fault was identified:
- conduct of contracted providers – 4%
- failure to deliver service – 5%
- health and safety – 2%
- staff conduct – 77%
- procedures not followed – 4%
- unhappy with decision – 2%
- insufficient or lack of communication – 6%
As can be seen above, 40 complaints (77%) identified fault with the conduct of staff. Of these 40 complaints, 38 were regarding staff conduct at the HWRCs across Lincolnshire. The remaining two complaints were regarding library and countryside services.
The trend of staff complaints for the HWRCs over the year has been raised with service management. They are taking action to improve the service delivered. It is hoped that this work will result in a decrease in staff complaints received over the next year.</