Issue - meetings

This report provides information on the council’s handling of complaints related to the provision of landlord services to council tenants and leaseholders.

The report complies with the requirements within the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code that landlords must produce an Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement report for scrutiny and challenge.

It must be published on the section of the council’s webpages relating to complaints. Cabinets response to the report must be published alongside this.

In line with the Complaint Handling Code, this report sets out:

·       The annual self-assessment against the code

·       A qualitive and quantitative analysis of complaint handling performance

·       Any findings of non-compliance with the code by the Housing Ombudsman

·       Service improvements made as a result of the learning from complaints

·       Any annual report about performance from the Housing Ombudsman

·       Any other relevant publications or reports produced by the Housing Ombudsman in relation to the work of the council in dealing with complaints.

RESOLVED that: -

(a)           the content of the Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report be noted and that a response be provided for publication on the Council’s website; and

(b)           The self-assessment against the Complaint Handling Code at Appendix 1 be approved for submission to the Housing Ombudsman and for publication on the Council’s website.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Housing and Regulatory Services

Reason

To ensure compliance with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.

The Portfolio Holder for Housing and Regulatory Services presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'F' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

Cabinet was advised that the report provided information on the council’s handling of complaints related to the provision of landlord services to council tenants and leaseholders.

Cabinet was informed that the report complied with the requirements within the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code that landlords must produce an Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement report for scrutiny and challenge.

Further to this Cabinet was advised that the report must be published on the section of the council’s webpages relating to complaints, and that Cabinets response to the report must be published alongside this.

In relation to this Cabinet was informed that in line with the Complaint Handling Code, the report sets out:

·       The annual self-assessment against the code

·       A qualitive and quantitative analysis of complaint handling performance

·       Any findings of non-compliance with the code by the Housing Ombudsman

·       Service improvements made as a result of the learning from complaints

·       Any annual report about performance from the Housing Ombudsman

·       Any other relevant publications or reports produced by the Housing Ombudsman in relation to the work of the council in dealing with complaints.

The Portfolio Holder advised that this report and the folowing report had been considered by the Environment and Place O&S Committee and that the only informal recommendation made by the Committee was that there should be more positivity around this issue. The service had received double the number of compliments as complaints.

RESOLVED that: -

(a)           the content of the Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report be noted and that a response be provided for publication on the Council’s website; and

(b)           The self-assessment against the Complaint Handling Code at Appendix 1 be approved for submission to the Housing Ombudsman and for publication on the Council’s website.

Voting: Unanimous

Portfolio Holder: Housing and Regulatory Services

Reason

To ensure compliance with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code.