The Flemish Ombudsman Service handled 8,952 files last year. That is almost 400 more than in 2020 (8,572). Reconciliation could be reached in 43 percent of these. Most files concerned Housing (19.7 percent), Energy, Water and Environment (15.9 percent) and Work and Economy (12.2 percent). In total, all Flemish government services handled 94,000 complaints last year. The year before there were 95,578.
With regard to energy, the Ombudsman Service points out that the energy issue will become anything but simpler for the average citizen in 2021, partly due to the liberalization of the sector and the energy transition. It is becoming increasingly clear that it is too much of a task for more and more families to be able to rely on their own well-considered and meaningful energy choices. According to the Ombudsman Service, 2021 was therefore “one long stream of complaints, with the number one complaint: ‘the bill for my high bill is incorrect’”. “Even the best complaints and ombudsman work cannot compete with that: there are simply too many unpleasant surprises lurking around the energy corner at the moment,” it reads.
Corona was also discussed in the annual report. While one in five complaints had to do with the pandemic in 2020, there were fewer this year, but also last year “countless questions and complaints were heard about government policy on corona”. “The harsh reality is and still will be the pandemic,” said the Ombudsman.