Issue - meetings

Report of Chief Officer (Environment).

The Chief Officer (Environment) presented a report on complaints monitoring for the year ended 31^st March 2016 to provide an overview of the performance of the Council during 2015-16 in responding to complaints submitted in accordance with the Council’s Complaints Procedure and considered by the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) for the year ended 31^st March 2016.

The report also outlined current monitoring arrangements and suggested that steps be taken to clarify and streamline these to make best use of analysis and feedback from complaints as part of the Council’s programme of continuous improvement.

Members were advised that the report set out just the formal complaints dealt with under the Council’s Complaints Policy. It was reported that the Council’s Complaints Policy followed a two stage process during which the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) could be contacted by the complainant at any time, although the LGO would not normally investigate a complaint until it had been through both stages of the Council’s Complaints Procedure.

Members asked a number of questions on complaints monitoring regarding the complaints categories, the Complaints Procedure and how this compared to other authorities, organisations and companies. The Panel also asked questions on customer services and the Customer Services Strategy and how performance was recorded and monitored as well as how compliments could be recorded and feedback given to members of staff. Questions were also raised about the role of the LGO and the types of complaints which went to that stage.

Resolved:-

(1)          That the report be noted.

(2)          That the next Complaints Monitoring Report includes detail on the complaints made against the Council and upheld by the LGO.

(3)          That a report on the Customer Services Strategy be added to the Panel’s Work Programme.