Issue - meetings

The Neighbourhood and Tenancy Manager presented the AnnualHousing Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report.

Members’ attention was drawn to the self-assessment form submitted to the Housing Ombudsman, which was used to assess the Council’s progress. It was explained that approval was being sought to amend the Complaints Policy in response to feedback received from the Housing Ombudsman.

The Committee was advised that all local authorities registered as providers of social housing were required to be members of the Housing Ombudsman Scheme and to maintain robust complaints handling systems. The Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report was a mandatory requirement to demonstrate compliance with the Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code. Officers emphasised the importance of being open and transparent with both tenants and the Housing Ombudsman, providing an honest self-assessment to ensure fairness, consistency and the appropriate handling of complaints.

Members were informed that officers were continually reviewing practices and embedding learning from complaint outcomes to improve service delivery. It was acknowledged that, where issues arose, these would be addressed to prevent recurrence. The Neighbourhood and Tenancy Manager noted that complaints could be viewed positively as they provided valuable feedback to inform service improvements.

The report outlined the number of complaints received during 2025/26 and provided a breakdown of these cases. It was noted that response times had improved, although further improvement was required. The report also detailed the learning outcomes from serious complaints and it was emphasised that complaints handling should operate in conjunction with tenant engagement activity.

Following presentation of the report, Members discussed a number of points:

• Concerns were raised regarding increases in several key complaint indicators, including Stage One complaints received, complaints escalated to Stage Two, Stage One complaints upheld and Housing Ombudsman requests. Officers advised that improvements had been made to the Council’s website to support residents in submitting complaints and additional information on the complaints process was being included in correspondence. It was clarified that these changes had made it easier for tenants to raise complaints. It was also noted that there was now a clearer understanding of the distinction between service requests and formal complaints.
• A query was raised regarding benchmarking with other local authorities.  Members requested information on the national median for Stage One complaints. Officers advised that this information would be provided following the meeting.
• The nature of complaints received was discussed. Members were informed that the highest proportion of complaints related to repairs and maintenance, followed by issues concerning anti-social behaviour and nuisance.

RESOLVED that

1) The Annual Housing Complaints and Service Improvement Report be approved;

2) The Housing Ombudsman Complaint Handling Code Self Assessment be approved; and

3) The Housing Complaints Policy be approved and;

NOTED that

4) The reports referred to at resolutions 1 to 3 above, be published on the Council’s website.