AS a council, we always strive to do the best for the people of Swindon, and while we are, quite naturally, not shy about promoting our own successes, it’s reassuring when we receive confirmation from independent bodies that we are performing well.

We had a good illustration of this at the last Cabinet meeting on September 7, where we received a report from the Local Government Ombudsman about the number of complaints received about us and how we performed when compared with other, similar local authorities.

As a former complaints manager myself, let me emphasise that the council takes complaints seriously.

We always try to answer promptly and accurately and, wherever possible, resolve issues locally.

I would be the first to own up to the fact that we do not always get it right or act as quickly as residents would wish.

While some may believe the council is a large, bureaucratic beast, it’s a myth.

The reality is that we have an ever smaller number of core staff who are delivering a complex range of services efficiently while seeking to find significant savings year after year.

We are trying to rebuild an aircraft in flight without losing any passengers.

Mistakes do happen. Nevertheless, I can assure you that where complaints have a solid foundation, we do take action.

This brings me back to the Local Government Ombudsman.

If residents are not satisfied with the way the council has responded to a complaint, there is an option of asking the Ombudsman to investigate and each year this body produces a report.

It may not be a compelling read, but the figures are undeniable.

If you compare Swindon with our key neighbouring or similar councils – Bath and North East Somerset, Reading, Plymouth, Southampton, and Wiltshire, it shows that we had fewer complaints than any of these other local authorities, in some cases by some margin.

The measure is the number of complaints by every 100,000 residents, so the Council size is irrelevant.

However, we aren’t complacent.

This week we have invited in a team of experts from other councils, at no direct cost to ourselves, to carry out a corporate review of our authority and advise of any areas where we can make improvements.

I welcome this process of challenge and dialogue.

It is only by looking at how others operate and being honest about our own services, and accepting and implementing change, that we can ensure that we continue to deliver the wide range of services that the council has to provide.