Agenda item

C Dobby, Customer Resolution Manager, presented the Annual Customer Complaints and Compliments Report 2022-23.

The key highlights of the report included:

·         The number of compliments had increased and complaints had decreased.  

·         There had been a decrease in the number of complaints progressing to the next stage of procedures. 

·         96% of complaints had met corporate and statutory timescales for completion. 

·         The Council continued to find an element of fault in most of its complaints, so learning from people’s experiences and adapting services was essential alongside seeking a remedy with customers. 

·         The Council received the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman’s annual review letter on the 19 July 2023. A summary of performance was: 

o   Performance in relation to complaints upheld shows that the Council was slightly above (78%) the average for similar organisations (77%).   

o   The Council reported that the compliance with recommendations remained at 100% and was slightly above that of other similar organisations (99%), and performance on satisfactorily remedying complaints was 14% with the average of similar organisations at 10%. 

Discussion arose regarding complaints received for events that would include a number of residents, for example a missed bin collection, compared to complaints that were individualised. It was noted that the Sustainability and Growth Directorate received the most compliments as well as complains due to the front facing nature of its services. Work with comms had been undertaken so residents could report instances such as missed bin collections rather than submitting a complaint.

RESOLVED that the update be noted.