RESIDENTS are regularly spending up to 20 minutes on hold on the telephone as they struggle to speak to Somerset Council’s customer service team, it was claimed this week.

Conservative opposition group deputy leader Cllr Dawn Denton said people were regularly waiting long periods on the telephone, with staff slow to acknowledge vital queries.

The council said average call waiting time was less than six minutes, but admitted a recent spike in demand may have left some waiting a lot longer.

Cllr Denton said: “Residents, parish councils, councillors, and MPs are repeatedly reporting difficulties obtaining responses from this council across multiple departments.

“Residents report telephone waits of up to 20 minutes and, although the customer service staff are friendly and helpful, they are reportedly told not to transfer callers to officers and that residents can only email them.

“Some officers have subsequently expressed surprise residents were not put through.

“Staff are also still using former district terminology such as ‘Mendip’, rather than east, north, south, and west.

“Of greater concern is the lack of acknowledgement or response to inquiries.

“I, personally, waited seven months for a response concerning a vulnerable adult.

“I have many examples in areas across the council.

“A simple acknowledgement and realistic timescale would provide reassurance for me and most importantly for our residents and reduce repeated calls and emails, which create additional work for everybody.

“Members are regularly told customer care statistics are positive, yet residents report being unable to provide feedback when the system fails or their issue remains unresolved.”

Somerset executive Cllr Federica Smith-Roberts defended the customer service team’s record but said she was ‘constantly looking’ at ways to improve systems and technology

Cllr Smith-Roberts said the telephone system was fully functioning and she was not aware of any feedback saying it was not.