Agenda item

To receive a report from the Corporate Manager for Business Transformation & Customer Engagement providing the annual report on customer feedback for the compliments, comments and complaints received.

The Committee had before it, and NOTED, a report * from the Corporate Manager for Business Transformation & Customer Engagement providing the annual report on the customer feedback received in relation to compliments, comments and complaints.

The following was highlighted in the report:

·       The biggest service areas receiving feedback were Leisure, Recycling, Council Tax and Benefits. From a complaints point of view, most were about recycling and rubbish followed by Leisure and Council Tax and Benefits.  Leisure received the most compliments, followed by recycling and rubbish.  Waste had high rates of upheld complaints which indicated that some kind of corrective measure was necessary, however, this was the service which all residents of the district received meaning comparatively these numbers would always be high. In comparison, Council Tax, Benefits and Planning had lower rates of upheld complaints, which suggested that many of those complaints related to decisions that were bound by policy rather than service delivery.

·       With regard to key performance indicators acknowledgement of complaints was underperforming. The target was 85% for responding within five days and the Council was currently running at an average of approximately 74%. However, for the resolution of complaints within target time scales, the Council was at or above our target.

·       Most compliments the Council received related to staff conduct and service delivery exceeding expectations. Positive feedback was always relayed back to specific staff members.

·       Understanding what the Council did well in, in comparison to what people feel unhappy about was often a useful measure.

·       There were 10 referrals to the Ombudsman in 2024/2025, four were closed after initial inquiry, four incorrectly registered, meaning only two of those ten were actually investigated by the Ombudsman. In only one of those two cases was the compliant upheld. The Council was committed to dealing with complaints promptly, fairly and as transparently as it possibly could.

·       Under the new Code of Complaints, qualitative and quantitative work would need to be undertaken, therefore, analysis of how the Council dealt with the complaints, what the complaints were about and what decisions were taken and how follow on recommendations were monitored would be undertaken.  Additional training in this area would also be undertaken next year for those staff involved.

·       The Council’s website pages would be changed, providing more information about how to report complaints and compliments.

·       The Council was bench marked in a similar position to neighbouring authorities in terms of complaints referred to the Ombudsman.

·       All customer feedback was taken seriously and this was a continuous improvement piece.

Discussion took place regarding:

·       Complaints in relation to housing need and homelessness and an acknowledgement that these were critical areas needing a ‘lessons learnt’ exercise where possible.

·       The provision of training for staff dealing with complaints early next year was confirmed.

·       Complaints in relation to Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) and how these were dealt with. It was acknowledged that this was a complex process, involving different service areas.

·       It was felt to be remarkable that numbers of complaints were so low in the area of Waste given the high frequency of ‘touch point’ opportunities.

·       It was pleasing to see that staff sickness levels had reduced.

·       The need for the Scrutiny Committee to have an interim report. The Clerk would liaise with the Head of Service regarding timetabling something into the Scrutiny Work programme at an appropriate time in the next 6 - 8 months.

·       Unless the public reported ASB the Police were constrained in terms of what they could do. The Chair stated that he would be bringing a Motion to Council regarding this issue. Cllr G Czapiewski also stated that as the Councillor Advocate on the Police and Crime Panel for Devon and Cornwall he would also lobby for more information in relation to ASB.

·       It was also noted that there were regular updates from the Police at the Community, People & Equalities Policy Development Group.

Note: * Report previously circulated.