COMPLAINTS against Thurrock Council rose 19 per cent last year which resulted in almost £8,000 paid out in compensation but compliments and response times also rose.

Latest figures show the council received 2,318 complaints —an increase of 378 compared to the previous year.

The council blamed the increase in part to changes in the waste collection schedule, which led to a spike in complaints about missed collections. Waste management topped the list of complaint categories with 643 cases, followed by 347 over repairs to council properties and 164 over housing solutions, which included concerns over long waiting lists.

The council said another contributing factor to the rise in complaints in 2024/2025 was the introduction of a new online complaints form, which made it easier for residents to raise issues.

Despite the increase in volume, the council reported improvements in how complaints were handled.

This year, 90 per cent of complaints were responded to within the required timeframe, up from 87 per cent the previous year. Additionally, the proportion of complaints upheld fell slightly from 43 per cent to 39 per cent, suggesting improved service delivery or more effective resolution processes.

A total of 1,902 Stage 1 complaints were responded to, with 805 upheld. The average response time at this stage was tend days. At Stage 2, 222 complaints were handled, with 49 upheld and an average response time of 19 days.

The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and the Housing Ombudsman issued 48 decisions during the period, with 19 findings of fault.

In response to complaints, the council or its contractors paid or offered a total of £6,960 across nine Stage 1 cases and £980 across ten Stage 2 cases.

In addition to complaints, the council received 2,575 external compliments—up 23 per cent from 2,089 the previous year. The contact centre received the highest number of compliments, totalling 1,723.

A report set to be discussed at an audit committee meeting on Tuesday (7 October), says: "The most important aspect of any complaints management framework is the ability to demonstrate that the council can show evidence that it is learning from complaints received."