A MUM complained to a Welsh council after her son was registered as female on his birth certificate – and when she pointed out the error she was asked to pay for the new certificate.
She and her partner hadn’t noticed the administrative blunder, only noticing when they got home.
She phoned Cyngor Gwynedd to explain but was told she would have to pay to get another certificate with the correct gender details.
She had complained as she “did not feel this was fair as she was not responsible,” a council report stated.
The matter had been resolved, with a team leader apologising and arranging for a new certificate.
The council had noted the complaint and ‘lessons learned’ as part of efforts to improve its service, noting it was “very important to check and ensure all details were correct at all times”.
The complaint was one of many discussed in the council’s complaints and service improvement annual report, for 2024/2025.
In an education matter, a woman had complained over lack of response following a fall her mother had had near a school, resulting in injury and hospitalisation.
The customer “didn’t want anyone else to fall and be injured due to the situation,” the report had said.
The service head had wished her mother a speedy recovery, apologising for the delay, ensuring the work was completed, and her damages claim sent to the insurance team.
It was noted it’s “always important to acknowledge/respond to a customer as soon as possible”.
In a housing matter, a pregnant mother with a child had complained that she was allocated an “unsuitable property” on a top floor. It was acknowledged, the customer’s situation had changed and she was moved to a ground floor flat.
The report aimed to provide an overview of the council’s performance in dealing with complaints, ways to improve its services, and highlighting its “successes, challenges, and developments”.
It documented everything from housing gripes, to missed bin collections, and was presented during the council’s Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, July 8.
Figures had shown there were fewer valid formal complaints, but a higher number of Ombudsman complaints.
There were 106 complaints in total, made between April 1, 2024 and March, 31, 2025, with 61 as valid formal, and 45, Ombudsman.
The average number of days to respond was 17.7.
This was compared to the same date period, in 2023/24, when there had been a total of 123 complaints, 89 had been valid formal and 34, Ombudsman.
The average number of days to respond was 14.4.
The stats also pointed to a higher number of issues coming in the areas of planning (20.8%), housing (14.2%) revenue (14.2%) housing (14.2%) and waste (12%).
Despite this, thanks’ and compliments from the public, had increased on the ‘success wall,’ with some 1437 received since 2015.
The main message, the report said, was there were fewer upheld formal complaints this year, although more Ombudsman complaints, in 2024/2025, compared to the same period in 2023/2024.
The pattern / trend over a longer period showed that the number of formal complaints reduced gradually between 2018/2019 and 2021/2022 when it increased significantly.
However, recent improvements the cabinet heard were due to “a change in culture.”
There had been a change in how most services accepted complaints, in a “more positive and constructive way,” and used them as a means to” learn and improve the services”.
However, response times to deal with issues had increased.
The report noted, the Ombudsman’s Annual Letter would not be available until September 2025.
