Councillors Urged to Act on Complaints Instead of Complaining
Torfaen councillors will soon receive a new annual satisfaction survey. It will ask elected members to rate the democratic services team that supports their roles.
Purpose and circulation
The draft survey was discussed at a meeting of the council’s Democratic Services Committee. Committee members agreed the questionnaire will be issued to all 40 councillors.
Tom Roberts, the newly appointed head of democratic service, and scrutiny officer Rebecca Fahey-Jones urged full participation. They said responses will help identify problems and improve support.
Concerns raised by members
Several councillors used the meeting to highlight issues with IT and meeting facilities. Complaints focused on unreliable equipment and a lack of private space in the members’ room at the Civic Centre in Pontypool.
Committee chairman Steve Evans reported a long-running computer fault. He said the problem with SRS support had persisted for months and remained unresolved.
Privacy and facilities
Evans also expressed concern about the members’ room security. He described people entering to sign in, which made confidential conversations difficult.
Tom Roberts responded that a private room is available and that the SRS runs drop-in sessions before meetings. He encouraged councillors to use these options.
IT difficulties and survey format
Labour councillor Stuart Ashley said he had to join a meeting using his personal computer. His council-issue laptop had not worked, he reported.
Ashley suggested the survey include more multiple-choice questions. He said that format would be easier for some members to complete.
Fahey-Jones explained that free-text fields were kept to allow councillors to raise specific concerns. She warned that too many tick boxes could limit respondents and reflect officers’ assumptions.
Call to action
Cllr Ron Burnett pressed members to take part when the survey arrives. He argued that only by responding will officers learn about problems.
Roberts asked the committee chair to promote the survey and improve take-up. Officials stressed the need for councillors to act on complaints rather than only complaining.
Next steps
The committee approved circulation of the final questionnaire. Officers and councillors will use the results to shape future support and services.
