Agenda item

The Housing Strategy and Development Officer presented the report of the Annual Complaint Handling and Service Improvement Report 2023/24 to the Group.

The Housing Ombudsman’s Complaint Handling Code (the ‘Code’) had become statutory from 1^st April 2024.  The Social Housing (Regulation) Act 2023 had placed a legal duty on the Ombudsman to monitor social housing landlord’s compliance with the Code, with Section 8 requiring landlords to produce an Annual Complaints Performance and Service Improvement Report (the ‘Report’) for scrutiny and challenge.

The Report, attached as Appendix 1, provided an analysis of the complaints, comments and compliments received by the Council during 2023/24.  The Council’s annual submission was made prior to the 30^th June 2024 deadline and would be required annually.  The documents were available on the Council’s website and within contact centres for tenants and residents to access.

Whilst the Report had to show the Council’s performance against the new Code, some tables and charts presented data that enabled analysis against the Council’s Complaints, Comments and Compliments Policy (the ‘Policy’), which had been in operation during the transition period.

The self-assessment in the Report showed the Council considered the service was compliant with the Code.  In 2023/24, there were 16 complaints categorised as Stage One, which were responded to outside of the Housing Ombudsman timescales (10 working days).  However, all were within the Policy’s timescale of 15 working days and in future, any complaints outside of the timescale would be documented and investigated.  Measures would also be put in place to ensure complaints could be answered within the timescales contained within the Code.

The parameters on how to present the Report were vague.  Time had also been limited.  However, the Council felt it had met the requirements in the expected detail.

The Chair returned to the meeting.

For the common themes of complaints, they had been the behaviour of staff, quality of repairs, etc., but a large proportion of staff behaviour had been linked to Dragonfly Development Ltd., and so investigations could be focussed on this.  A Tenant noted this was quite high, highlighting an employee of Dragonfly Development Ltd. had visited their home to carry out work and who’s appearance was ‘scruffy’ with no identity lanyard present.  The Tenant had not submitted a complaint, but an older resident would likely have done so.  The Chair voiced the Group’s concern on the lack of a lanyard.

A Tenant added they were aware of a tenant on the Castle Estate, Bolsover, where work had been carried out externally with the requirement of scaffolding.  The scaffolders, not employed by Dragonfly Development Ltd. but contracted by them, had jumped over the tenant’s rear garden’s locked gate to gain access.  The Chair voiced the Group’s concern that should never have happened.  The Tenant added appropriate communication was not difficult to achieve.

The Housing Strategy and Development Officer highlighted Dragonfly Development Ltd. had received both the most complaints as well as compliments; there was good work being undertaken as well as issues that needed addressing.  A Tenant stated they had exceptional work carried out to their home but had no opportunity to pass this on.  The Chair noted the Tenant could have phoned the Contact Centre to pass on their thanks.

With regards a lack of communication, the Housing Strategy and Development Officer stated the Council would be making more use of email, the Gov.Notify service, and text message to help communicate with tenants.

Current contact was broadly across the District, but this information would be reviewed.  Quarterly updates would be made to the Group on comments, compliments, and complaints from the Contact Centre in the future.  Other local authorities had a dedicated tenant response group to review complaints; this was a possibility for the Council to explore.

A Tenant asked if there could be a breakdown of repair data, and the Customer Service, Complaints and Standards Manager explained this could be investigated in the future.

The Assistant Director Housing Management and Enforcement noted, following work with Tenants, a simplified tenant approved version of the Report would be made available, with key data the Tenants felt was important.