SLCC reports highest ever number of complaints

The Scottish Legal Complaints Commission (SLCC) has reported its highest ever number of incoming complaints – 1,385 in 2023-24 – significantly exceeding projections for the year.

The organisation’s caseload was skewed by the fallout from one ceased firm which impacted work across the business, from enquiries to complaint handling to stakeholder engagement.

Despite this, the SLCC broadly maintained its performance, keeping pace with incoming complaint numbers and delivering its operating plan for the year. However, it closed the year with a higher caseload, and with further uncertainty to come from the ongoing – and now significantly delayed – reform legislation currently being scrutinised in parliament.

Neil Stevenson, SLCC Chief Executive, commented, “This year has felt like a team effort more than ever before as we looked to support hundreds of members of the public affected by the collapse of a single firm.

“I want to thank our staff for the empathy, diligence and support they deployed in dealing with distressed former clients, confused about what had happened and where they stood. I also want to recognise the way the team collaborated with other stakeholders and answered questions from the public, the press and parliament about our work. I am immensely proud of how the organisation has performed in dealing with this situation and that is testament to the way our staff prioritised strong customer service, even in difficult circumstances.

“Our normal business continued to be delivered, and we have maintained performance against almost all our key measures. We did this while engaging throughout the year on legislation that will make significant changes to the complaints system. Every team and every person rose to these challenges, and they have my sincere thanks.”

Jane Malcolm, SLCC Chair added, “It has been a busy and demanding year for us, and I’m pleased that against the background of an unprecedented number of complaints, along with uncertainty around legislative change, we achieved good levels of performance. Our sharp focus on our service users throughout has helped us to help others at what was a difficult time for so many. My thanks go to the Board and to our dedicated staff team for their support, drive and delivery, and to everyone who has worked with us this year.

“This report marks the end of our 2020-24 strategy. The strategy began as we emerged from the first Covid lockdown and has seen us update our ways of working, undertake a cost-saving office move and become a fully digital organisation. We have also delivered significant improvements in our service, influenced complaint handling across the sector and have projects underway on equality, insight and efficiency.

“Our ability to plan and deliver in uncertain circumstances will serve us well as we look ahead to the conclusion of the reform debate and the implementation of the changes it delivers. It’s a challenging task, but on the evidence of the past year, it’s a challenge I’m confident we will rise to.”

The 2023-24 SLCC annual report covers performance in the July 2023 to June 2024 operating year, and was laid before the Scottish Parliament today, along with the 2023-24 SLCC annual accounts.