Auckland Council complaint report welcomed

Local Government Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga today welcomed the Auditor General’s report on how Auckland Council responds to complaints.

“The public needs to know that they can make complaints to public organisations such as Auckland Council and trust those complaints will be dealt with fairly and effectively,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

“The report is generally positive about the Council’s complaints processes. Overall, the number of complaints has fallen.”

“Complaints can be a valuable tool for improving services and systems. As the Auditor General notes, how well an organisation deals with complaints can show how committed it is to providing high quality service to people,” Mr Lotu-Iiga says.

“The report shows Auckland Council is learning from complaints and is adapting and changing to make improvements to the services it offers.”

Auckland Council receives 4,500 complaints each year, mostly about rates, building and resource consents, parks and rubbish.

“I look forward to Auckland Council implementing the Auditor-General’s recommendations. Once that is done Aucklanders can be even more confident they have a responsive, fair and effective complaints system.”

The report and recommendations are available on the Office of the Auditor general’s website: http://www.oag.govt.nz/