Decision details

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Finances and Resources reporting the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman / Housing Ombudsman annual letters for the compliant year 2023/24 and update on key learning arising from the Council internal complaints policies.

(i)  To consider the complaints outcomes for 2023/24 and to instruct officers to consider these findings when reviewing service delivery and improvement plans for 2024 onwards.

(ii)  To re-confirm Housing Services as the service area designated under the complaints policy for which stage 2 complaints are considered by the Council’s independent complaints team within Enabling Services and offered additional advice, training and assistance for the period 2024-26 in order to assist the service area on its improvement journey.

1.  While Councils aspire to get things right first time, every time, we recognise that mistakes can happen. It is important that mistakes (faults) are recognised and used to improve our services and to identify and resolve performance issues wherever possible to drive up service improvement and customer satisfaction. The overall percentage of complaints that are not resolved on initial contact with the Council is low. Complaints that progress through the Council’s complaints processes and result in investigation by the LGSCO and HO remain a very small proportion of the complaints received demonstrating a good service improvement and learning from complaints ethos within the Council. It is nonetheless important for senior leaders within the Council to understand where failures have resulted in Ombudsman referrals and findings and to ensure that the Council uses complaints data to understand where services can be improved.

2.  The Council’s Complaints Policy allows for one additional service area (in addition to Children’s Services statutory complaints) to be designated as needing more intensive support from the Council’s independent complaints team in Enabling Services. Since April 2024, that Service area has been Housing and it is recommended that continues for at least a further 18 months as this remains the area with the highest number of unresolved complaints at Ombudsman stage and reflects the Council’s commitment to addressing the significant impact housing services has on the Council’s values and priorities.

Not applicable.