Agenda item

Report of the Corporate Director of Culture, Strategy and Communities. To be presented by the Cabinet Member for Resident Services and Tackling Inequality

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST MADE FOR THIS ITEM:

None

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.    Delegated authority to the Member Responsible for Complaints (MRC) to finalise a Governing Body Statement for submission to the Housing Ombudsman Service, reflecting and taking account of Cabinet’s consideration and discussion of the report and its appendices.

2.    Noted the 2025/26 Annual Feedback and Resolutions Report.

3.    Noted the Housing Ombudsman Service Annual Self-Assessment at Appendix F and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Self-Assessment.

4.    Noted the Complaints Improvement Plan at Appendix D and the Housing Service Sub-Improvement Plan, which set out the Council’s approach to addressing the issues identified in the Annual Report and the self-assessments.

Reasons for the Decision

In line with the statutory requirements set out in the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code, it was essential that the governing body maintained oversight of complaint performance. Presenting the report to Cabinet ensured transparency, accountability and strategic governance in relation to complaint handling processes. It enabled Cabinet to assess organisational responsiveness, identify areas for improvement, and ensure that service delivery remained resident-focused and compliant with regulatory expectations.

In addition, the Council was required to submit annual self-assessments to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and the Housing Ombudsman Service, demonstrating how these had been reviewed and how the identified risks and issues would be addressed.

Alternative Options Considered

Publishing an Annual Feedback and Resolutions Review was a requirement. As a result, no alternative options were considered.

The Cabinet Member for Resident Services and Tackling Inequality introduced the report.

The Cabinet Member explained that the Council had faced a significant challenge in relation to complaints. For the third consecutive year, it had the highest rate of Local Government Ombudsman upheld complaints per resident of any council in England. Across all services, nearly two-thirds of Stage 1 complaints and more than half of Stage 2 complaints were upheld. This indicated that the Council had not consistently met residents' expectations in the delivery of services and support. It was explained that the issue was not the number of complaints itself; an increase in complaints could also indicate that residents felt more able to raise concerns with the Council. The key concern was that too many residents experienced delays or received responses that did not fully address their issues, and that complaints were not consistently leading to service improvements.

It was stressed by the Cabinet Member that housing remained a particular area of concern, with more than half (53%) of complaints in 2025/26 relating to services within that directorate. The Housing Ombudsman Service upheld 86% of complaints during the previous year. Although this represented an improvement from 95% in the preceding year, the figure remained high. Efforts were underway to address these issues through the Housing Complaints Improvement Sub-Plan.

It was explained that the report also included the Council's annual self-assessment submissions to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and the Housing Ombudsman Service. These documents set out how the Council's policies aligned with the standards required by the respective codes of practice. The assessments also acknowledged areas where performance had not yet met the objectives set out in those policies.

Inclusion of the assessments within the report provided a further opportunity for scrutiny and challenge by Cabinet. Any feedback received from Cabinet was to be reflected in the final submissions.

The Cabinet Member highlighted that the resident experience, including the management of complaints, remained a Council priority and was reflected in the Corporate Delivery Plan. It was recognised that improvements to complaint handling needed to be considered alongside broader areas where service standards had not consistently met residents' expectations.

Work was also being undertaken to address historic underinvestment in Customer Services, with the aim of improving residents' access to information and support in a timely and effective manner. While improvements were expected to take time, it was anticipated that strengthened front-line services and a focus on resolving issues correctly at the earliest opportunity would help reduce frustration for residents and Members.

Cabinet stressed that progress against the Complaints Improvement Plan was being monitored closely to ensure transparency and accountability. The Council aimed to demonstrate measurable improvement in the Feedback and Resolutions Report for 2026/27.

Following questions from Councillors Blake, Hymas and Powell, the following information was shared:

• It was explained that the Council recognised the issues from poor communication with residents and the negative impact that this had on residents utilising services. It was identified that improving and developing clear communication was a core part of service improvement.
  
  
• It was noted that Housing complaints contributed to around 50% of complaints and stressed that the Council was seeking to improve upon the experience of residents in this area. It was noted that clear communication was an important part of this and was stressed that the Council sought general improvement in this area.
  
  
• It was noted that the work on improving the resolution of complaints was beginning, but that data was not available on the Council’s improvement work since the start of the administration. It was stressed that the Council would be continuing to work to improve and would be monitoring this over time.
  
  
• It was stressed that the target for improvement was an initial one, which was aimed to be realistic, as part of a two-year plan and that the Council would seek to further improve following the completion of this plan with further ambitious targets.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.    Delegated authority to the Member Responsible for Complaints (MRC) to finalise a Governing Body Statement for submission to the Housing Ombudsman Service, reflecting and taking account of Cabinet’s consideration and discussion of the report and its appendices.

2.    Noted the 2025/26 Annual Feedback and Resolutions Report.

3.    Noted the Housing Ombudsman Service Annual Self-Assessment at Appendix F and the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman Self-Assessment.

4.    Noted the Complaints Improvement Plan at Appendix D and the Housing Service Sub-Improvement Plan, which set out the Council’s approach to addressing the issues identified in the Annual Report and the self-assessments.

Reasons for the Decision

In line with the statutory requirements set out in the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code, it was essential that the governing body maintained oversight of complaint performance. Presenting the report to Cabinet ensured transparency, accountability and strategic governance in relation to complaint handling processes. It enabled Cabinet to assess organisational responsiveness, identify areas for improvement, and ensure that service delivery remained resident-focused and compliant with regulatory expectations.

In addition, the Council was required to submit annual self-assessments to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and the Housing Ombudsman Service, demonstrating how these had been reviewed and how the identified risks and issues would be addressed.

Alternative Options Considered

Publishing an Annual Feedback and Resolutions Review was a requirement. As a result, no alternative options were considered.