Linda Chung on Camden Council's annual complaints report

I felt this myself, faced with a Camden non-functioning piece of tech. I wanted to scream as I lost time trying to sort it, for it to go wrong again. My mental health fell apart as I wondered whether it was my fault, or why it’s only me that gets targeted for the pain?

You may think it was a comparatively minor matter, but it’s illustrative of what many of us can face as "customers" of the council.

Residents tell me their frustrations, whether it’s to do with housing, or planning, or refuse collection - just three examples amongst the myriad of services for which the council is responsible. If you have the tech, you may send an email or use the website to report. Do emails or web messages get answered? Are telephone calls picked up - are the options given intelligible? Are you suppose to be referred on but nothing happens?

Cllr Linda Chung has been reading complaints residents have made against Camden Council (Image: Camden Council)

I thought I would get some answers from the annual complaints report tabled for the resources and corporate performance scrutiny committee last Monday, as I suspected the majority of complaints related to housing. Next is planning and the environment.

The report is quite comprehensive in relaying the statistics, but it doesn’t get to the nub of what to do to relieve the sources of pain - access, responsiveness, and speedy resolution.

The updated report on Camden’s efforts to support those coping with the cost-of-living crisis is more encouraging. We are making efforts to do the best we can, but beyond providing warm hubs, and one off payments, we need to think longer term to help with ongoing needs, such as joined up health and social care, provision for adult learning, and leisure facilities.

Amongst the complaints, there was praise for the council, and we can all agree that at its heart, it is a caring council. There are some brilliant officers, with great vision for what we can achieve, but this can be hampered by tight finances which inhibit the willingness to explore imaginative new solutions

Do let me know about your experiences and ideas for improvement. Some problems may take longer to solve than others, but we need to acknowledge they exist before we can do better.

Cllr Linda Chung is a Liberal Democrat Hampstead Town ward councillor, and is chair of the resources and corporate performance scrutiny committee at Camden Council.