Where does your council rank in terms of ratepayer complaints?

Local government gripes have been laid bare in new stats that reveal which councils are copping the most flak. Search the full list to find how yours rates.

Adelaide has emerged as the metropolitan council with the most complaints, while ratepayers in Robe lodged the greatest number gripes in regional South Australia.

State Ombudsman Wayne Lines has ranked the most complained about councils in SA by listing in his annual report the number of grievances his office received in 2020-21 for every 10,000 residents within a council area.

The happiest ratepayers were found in Walkerville, where its 8094 residents managed to find only one issue to complain about to the Ombudsman in the entire year.

Tatiara District Council, in the state’s southeast, also had only one complaint from its 6827 residents.

Adelaide City Council – disadvantaged by its CBD management role – was hit with 41 complaints, which can each result in hundreds of staff man hours to resolve.

Hundreds of people may complain to councils each year, but Mr Lines’ office is an umpire and the second last resort for people with the most serious complaints, before court action must be taken.

As such, the annual complaints lists are considered few but serious. In his annual report tabled in state parliament this month, Mr Lines states he ruled on 851 complaints about councils in total.

Six people were found to have broken the law, two were found to be wrong decisions by the council, 34 were resolved with the help of council, 15 were referred to the higher Office of Public Integrity and 334 were referred back to the council with advice to resolve the problem themselves.

Mr Lines said almost a quarter of complaints – and 22 out of 32 formal investigations – related to local government.

“The majority of these local government investigations, 13, concerned allegations against council members for code of conduct breaches,” he said.

“The allegations were substantiated in 11 of these cases.” Responding on behalf of all councils, Local Government Association president Angela Evans said the sector was reforming itself to better resolve complaints and more quickly.

South Australian Ombudsman Wayne Lines pictured in Adelaide. Picture: Tait Schmaal

Supplied Editorial Walkerville Council

“The LGA has worked closely with the parliament on reforms that will increase transparency, and support councils to quickly and effectively deal with behaviour complaints,’’ she said.

In a rare foray into political policy, ICAC Ann Vanstone QC said SA councils should be reduced in number to lessen complaint numbers.

Mr Lines gave credit to one councillor as an example of correct behaviour when a complaint was highlighted.

“A council member had failed to declare a perceived conflict of interest. When my office pointed this out to him, he agreed to make a statement at a subsequent council meeting acknowledging the error and apologising for it,” he said.