This report summarises the Council’s performance and learning from resident complaints during the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. It includes all complaints covering stage 1, 2, Ombudsman and statutory complaints.
Minutes:
Nicola Ellis (Strategic Director, Chief Operating Officer) presented the report which summarised the Council’s performance and learning from resident complaints during the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 and included all complaints covering stage 1, 2, Ombudsman and statutory complaints. She highlighted the importance to recognise repairs and housing were on an ongoing improvement journey and issues highlighted in the report was as at that point in time. She summarised the report as follow:
Councillor Florian Chevoppe-Verdier referred to LGSCO’s letter (p 508) and found it reassuring and encouraging to receive the positive remarks from an independent third party. Addressing his enquiry, Nicola Ellis noted that the Council had completed the self-assessment against the HO’s Complaint Handling Code and was compliant with all the areas. Similar exercise would be conducted against LGSCO’s code in April 2025.
Councillor Adrain Pascu-Tulbure noted that there was a significant increase in compensation paid during the period April 2023 to March 2024 – up from £519,521.37 in 2022/2023 to £792,007.18. He questioned whether the Council had done its utmost to serve the residents.
Richard Shwe (Director of Housing) remarked that now, the Repairs team was still dealing with the HO’s backlog complaint from 2020, and the amount of compensation was determined by the HO. More recent complaints were being dealt with properly, with staff working seven days a week. There was no overdue stage 1 and stage 2 complaints since this September. Richard said they had discussed with the HO on the compensation culture and the Council’s policies about the levels of compensation.
Sharon Lea (Chief Executive) considered complaint handling was a major project of learning and improvements and she always encouraged management teams to track the complaints for any trends. She said on top of HO’s backlog of complaints, the Housing Department had a backlog of repairs in the last 24 months because of failures of certain former contractors and the undesirable complaint handling. While dealing with historical HO’s complaints made in 2021, the Housing Department had made a lot of changes for the better, for example, complying external guidance on complaint handling and HO’s compensation policy. The Housing Department was now responding to stage one and two complaints and delivering the repairs service on time. Sharon considered that it was right and proper to apologise and pay appropriate compensation to the residents who had been inconvenienced to the detriment. The Council aimed at providing good service for residents and encouraged them to lodge complaints with the Council instead of going to the HO or resort to the no-win-no-fee legal route. She was pleased to note that the learning and improvements made as demonstrated in the current performances of the Housing Department were acknowledged by the external auditor.
Councillor Lisa Homan referred to the compliments received over 2023/24 (p. 455) which in her opinion, were noteworthy as people took time to make a compliment for the services they were entitled to. Nicola Ellis remarked that these compliments were not text/email surveys but residents’ personal writing in emails.
The Chair noted estate residents who shared very little from the compensation even if they won the case through the no-win-no-fee legal services. He asked whether the Council could collaborate with the residents along the process with a view to resolving the issues outside the court. Richard Shwe highlighted the Housing teams were acting proactively to resolve the repair issues at the first instant to avoid overdue and backlog. To help reduce disrepair cases and resolve the issues quicker, the Council having consulted the legal colleagues might act on behalf of those residents who did not understand the actual undertaking.
RESOLVED
That the Committee agreed to note the Council’s performance on complaints during the year 2023/24 and the organisational learning from them.
Supporting documents: