Agenda item

To approve the changes made to the Complaint Handling Code and Combined Complaint Policy.

The Cabinet Member: Homes & Enforcement presented the new complaint handling code and combined complaint policy.

The report outlined the requirements of the new complaint handling code of conduct that was being introduced by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS) from the 1 April 2024.   It highlighted the changes to working practices that would need to be introduced across the organisation to ensure compliance with the code, including new, shorter complaint handling timescales and the requirement to undertake annual self-assessments of the Councils compliance with the code.

It was necessary to be compliant with the HOS code by the 1 April 2024, and compliant with the LGSCO code 2026/27.  As part of these changes, the Council were required to combine the existing corporate complaints policy, complaints policy for council tenants, and the policy for complaints involving Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) into a single policy by 1 April 2024.   The existing statutory complaints policies for Adult Social Care and Children’s Services would remain as separate policies with their own specific timescales.  These timescales would be monitored monthly and published annually.

There had been an increase from 81% to 87% in the average time to respond to complaints within 10 days.  If agreed, the Council would proactively adopt the policy straight away and would take part in the LGO pilot scheme before the policy became mandatory in 2026.

Members welcomed the report and the robust complaint policy which was an important part of the Council’s services.  The improvement to the timescales, as well as the various methods available to raise complaints, was important in order to grow and develop services.  All feedback was a conversation to ensure the Council provided the best service possible and when things went wrong implement improvements to ensure things were done a different way in the future.

The Leader of the Conservative Group felt that the report did dwell on the lack of resources, but he was encouraged that the revised complaint policy was a model and coherent policy.  He raised the delay in implementing the policy by 1 April and that implementation was retrospective.  It was considered that complaints were taken seriously and discharged in an effective manner and but that the Council could learn from a corporate approach as an opportunity to do better.

The Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group welcomed the report and he acknowledged the challenges residents may have with technology and, although costly, he felt the old-fashioned ways of contacting the Council were still vital for the authority.  He considered that feedback and complaints were dealt with positively which enabled services to adjust and react as necessary but acknowledged the difficulties when resources scarce.

The Leader confirmed that all compliments and complaints were a contact with the Council and that these could be learned from.  In relation to the retrospective introduction of the policy, this only related to the housing complaints and the Council were not a stock holding council.  It was proposed that the Code be adopted well ahead of the implementation date of 2026.

The Cabinet Member: Homes & Enforcement expressed that despite the loss of jobs, the services offered by the Council were still remarkable.  The details relating to the policy were not received until February 2024 and officers had been working to introduce this and this meeting was the first Cabinet that the policy could be brought to.

RESOLVED – that:

a)    the introduction of the new complaint handling code issued by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and the Housing Ombudsman Service and the Council’s plans to ensure compliance with the code, despite the additional pressure and burden this will place on Council services be noted;

b)   the changes to the new Complaints Policy be introduced with immediate effect and the new complaint handling code and combined complaint policy be approved;

c)    delegated authority be granted to the Director for Communities, Customer & Commercial Services in consultation with the Lead Cabinet Member for Finance, Customer Service & Governance to make amendments to this policy going forward in line with changes to the appropriate legislation or policy.