Corporate and housing services complaint procedure

Appendix 2 

2.1 Customer First Office  

All Authority teams are responsible and accountable for the services they provide. The Authority’s Complaints Manager is responsible for managing the corporate complaints procedure and is based within the Customer First Office. 

To contribute to fairness and objectivity, the Authority’s Complaints Manager does not directly deliver front line council services. While fostering good working relationships with key parties, e.g., complainants, council service areas and other agencies, the Authority’s Complaints Manager will contribute towards promoting the rights of customers to challenge the Authority about the quality of the services it provides. The Authority’s Complaints Manager will take an active role in encouraging and facilitating resolution of complaints. 

All complaints will be managed in line with the Authority’s Customer Promise principles of ‘we listen, we care’, to ensure the best possible customer experience throughout the process.  

2.2 Governance 

This procedure is governed by the Authority’s wider policies and practices and its Constitution. The Complaint Handling Codes, 2024, from both the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman and Housing Ombudsman, are both used to inform the approach and standards set out in this procedure. 

Annually, the Authority will complete self-assessments against both Ombudsman Codes, to ensure its complaint handling remains in line with requirements. 

The Authority has a Complaint Governance Framework which sets out how corporate complaints are monitored, reported, reviewed and escalated. The Framework also shows the minimum standards for the Authority to report wider learning and improvements from complaints to stakeholders, such as residents and relevant committees. 

This is in addition to service specific requirements from individual inspecting or governing bodies such as the Housing Ombudsman or landlord services. Individual Authority services will have records of these requirements and activities. 

The Complaint Governance Framework is kept under constant review by the Authority’s Complaint Manager. 

A positive complaint handling culture is integral to the effectiveness with which Authorities will resolve disputes. The Authority will use complaints as a source of intelligence to identify issues and introduce positive changes in service delivery.  

  • The (MRC) Member Responsible for corporate complaints is the Authority’s Lead Cabinet Member for Corporate Strategy, including Customer Service.
  • The Governing Body for corporate complaints is Cabinet. Cabinet will:
    • receive the annual complaints performance and service improvement report for corporate complaints and its self-assessment for compliance with the LGSCO Code of Practice, annually, and
    • publish its response to the annual complaints performance and service improvement report for corporate complaints and its self-assessment for compliance with the LGSCO Code of Practice, on the Authority’s website, and 

    • receive at least one further update, annually, of: 

      a. corporate complaints volumes, categories, and outcomes of complaints, alongside complaint handling performance, and  

      b. review of issues and trends arising from complaint handling 

    • can receive or request any additional reports deemed necessary which provide insight and effective governance, on the Authority’s corporate complaint handling performance.
  • The Authority’s Regulation and Review Committee (Council) will scrutinise and challenge the annual complaints performance and service improvement report information from the MRC, for corporate complaints, prior to Cabinet’s annual review.  
  • The (MRC) Member Responsible for housing services complaints is the Authority’s Lead Cabinet Member for Housing.
  • The Governing Body for housing services complaints is Cabinet. Cabinet will:
    • receive the annual complaints performance and service improvement report for housing services complaints and its self-assessment for compliance with the HO Code of Practice, annually, and
    • publish its response to the annual complaints performance and service improvement report for housing services complaints and its self-assessment for compliance with the HO Code of Practice, on the Authority’s website, and 

    • receive at least one further update, annually, of: 
      c. housing services complaints volumes, categories, and outcomes of complaints, alongside complaint handling performance, and  

      d.review of issues and trends arising from complaint handling 

    • can receive or request any additional reports deemed necessary which provide insight and effective governance, on the Authority’s housing services complaint handling performance. 
  • The Authority’s Regulation and Review Committee will scrutinise and challenge the annual complaints performance and service improvement report information from the MRC, for housing services complaints, prior to Cabinet’s annual review. 

Service requests: are not categorised as complaints, but are recorded, monitored and reviewed when received by the Customer First Office and housing services, as a wider source of information about customer satisfaction and service performance. 

Complaints: the Authority’s Complaint Manager and Customer First Office, apply this complaints procedure and monitor the progress of all individual complaints.  

2.3 Record management and data protection 

A full record will be kept of the complaint, and the outcomes at each stage. This will include the original complaint and the date received, all correspondence with the customer, correspondence with other parties, and any relevant supporting documentation such as reports or surveys.  

All functions of the complaint procedure adhere to the requirements of the Data Protection Act, 2018, UK General Data Protection Regulations, Freedom of Information Act, 2000 and other related requirements.