Agenda item

To receive the Formal Complaints Report – 9 month summary April – December 2022

The Committee received an update on formal complaints.

During the discussion of this item, the following points were made:

·       Over the three quarters 69% of complaints submitted had been resolved without formal escalation.  Across all stages 30% of complaints were upheld, 54% not upheld and 16% were undecided. 

·       Compared to the end of Q4 2021-22 complaints had increased by an average of 7%.  This was mainly due to the rise in Stage 1 complaints, which was in turn the result of a new Housing Complaints policy being implemented in May 2022 that removed the option of informal resolution.  The policy change combined with seasonal factors had seen Housing Services make up 40% of all complaints received, compared to an average of 25-35%.

·        Of the 465 complaints that did not formally escalate, 85% were attributed to Place and Growth.

·       During Q1-3 unforeseen spikes could be seen.  In November 2022 there was a focus in the national media around poor mould management by a social housing company which had resulted in the death of a toddler.  This had prompted concerns from tenants and an increase in service demand, which in turn had led to an increase in complaints as the service had struggled to meet the increased demand.

·       Those complaints upheld tended to relate to delays in addressing or completing a request for service.  When a customer found a decision unsatisfactory, they sometimes confused this with poor performance.  These complaints then tended to escalate but were usually not upheld.  However, they offered opportunities for improving the management of customer expectations.

·       During the period covered by the report several long standing Ombudsman cases had reached a decision in favour of the complainant.  Recommendations had centred on ensuring that statutory timeframes were met for Education, Health and Care Plans, a review of how health assessments were sourced, and improved staff training to ensure that those with nuero diverse conditions received the appropriate level of understanding and assistance.

·       When a complaint was unlikely to be resolved informally it was beneficial to signpost the complainant to the Stage 1 process.

·       Councillor Davies asked whether analysis had been done regarding whether there would have been an increase if early resolution had still been in place.  The Customer Relations Manager stated that this was difficult to judge as the Housing Ombudsman had indicated that early resolution and an informal process was no longer possible.  It was likely that levels would have remained at a similar level.

·       In response to a Member request for further details around seasonal factors, the Customer Relations Officer referred to the period cold weather in December and the national media focus on poor mould management.

·       Mike Drake asked how the Council compared with other Councils.  Whilst some benchmarking work had been carried it, it was difficult to make comparisons because of the different complaints structures in place. 

·       Councillor Gee complimented the readability of the report.

·       Councillor Smith referred to the equality monitoring data.  He felt that 18-65 years old was too large a category.  He questioned whether there was data available regarding the breakdowns of complainants per type of complaint.  The Customer Relations Manager indicated that this age band was being reviewed.  The detail had not been broken down by type of complaint but this was something which would be looked at.

·       The Committee discussed complaints which were received whilst the situation being complained about, was still live.

RESOLVED:  That the formal complaints report – 9 months summary April-December 2022 be noted.