Agenda item

The Customer Standards and Complaints Officer presented the report to the Board.

 

32 Compliments had been received in Quarter 3 2025/26 (1^st October 2025 to 31^st December 2025) – Dragonfly (Housing Repairs and Maintenance) had received the most Compliments, followed by Community Safety and Enforcement.

 

Shown through 2025/26 to date, whilst Dragonfly (Housing Repairs and Maintenance) had also featured under Complaints, a tenant’s personal experience of the service appeared to influence their bias in their response to the Council.

 

Compliments for Dragonfly (Housing Repairs and Maintenance) involved:

 

·       Repair Operatives’ professionalism and politeness;

·       High?quality workmanship across repairs and installations;

·       Going above and beyond customer expectations;

·       Respectful behaviour and care shown in customers’ homes;

·       Clean and tidy work practices;

·       Prompt, efficient and reliable service;

·       Strong teamwork and coordination across roles;

·       Kindness, empathy and understanding toward residents; and,

·       Positive representation of the Council and its services.

 

Compliment themes for Community Safety / Community Enforcement Rangers included:

 

·       Rangers’ professionalism, respectfulness and supportive approach;

·       Prompt and effective responses to urgent issues;

·       Providing reassurance and helping residents feel safe;

·       Listening carefully and showing empathy toward residents’ concerns;

·       Delivering practical help that made a meaningful difference to residents’ wellbeing; and,

·       Positive representation of community safety and wider Council services.

 

4 Comments had been received in the same period – 100% were acknowledged and passed to their respective department within the target time of 5 working days.

 

Most Comments received were for Dragonfly (Housing Repairs and Maintenance).  The only theme found was in relation to concerns about service quality and professionalism: 1 comment related to clarity on contractor procedures; 1 was regarding unprofessional behaviour.

 

As noted from previous reports, due to the small number of Comments received in Quarter 3 2025/26, customers might not be using Comments as frequently as they utilised the Customer Services Department to make enquiries, service requests, or liaising with teams directly with suggestions.

 

1 M.P. Enquiry had been received in the same period. It was believed information provided to the M.P.’s Office had led to a reduction in M.P. Enquiries overall as constituents were being appropriately advised of the action required (and dealt with) through other Council processes (i.e. as a service request / first enquiry).

 

The 1 M.P. Enquiry regarded Housing Allocations – no themes could be derived due to the lack of data.

 

22 Stage 1 Complaints were recorded in the same period, with 100% responded to within the Council’s customer standard and the Housing Ombudsman Code of 10 working days.

 

Dragonfly (Housing Repairs and Maintenance) had received the most Stage 1 Complaints, followed by Tenancy Management.

 

Complaint themes for Dragonfly (Housing Repairs and Maintenance) included:

 

·       Missed or inflexible appointments;

·       Repair Officers / Operatives attitude, conduct and communication;

·       Delays or unresolved repairs and safety concerns; and,

·       Workmanship / quality of repair.

 

1 Stage 1 Complaint theme for Tenancy Management was identified: treatment, attitude and manner of the Tenancy Management Officers / Team.

 

2 Stage 2 Complaints were recorded in the same period, with all responded to within the Council’s customer service standard and the Housing Ombudsman Code of 20 working days.

 

Both Complaints were for different teams and reasons – no common themes could be drawn.

 

No Ombudsman Complaints were reviewed during this period.

 

Service improvements included:

 

1)    The Gas Team were looking into changing the wording on the gas service letters regarding pre-pay meters;

 

2)    The Gas Team had ensured their system stipulated whether a morning or afternoon appointment had been arranged, which notified the Engineer; and,

 

3)    The apprentice and their mentor had received additional training to ensure lessons were learned and prevent recurrence;

 

The Council would continue reviewing the data at the Department Service Reviews, to explore themes and discuss any improvements which might not have been reported.

 

Most Compliments were made by telephone, followed by email.

 

Stage 1 and Stage 2 Complaints were both mostly made via telephone, followed by email.

 

Analysis of method of contact over the past year had shown a shift to telephone / email over the more long-standing use of post / letter.

 

The 1 M.P. Enquiry had been received via email.

 

When analysing the data on who were making reports to the Council for Compliments, Comments, Complaints and M.P. Enquiries, it was found that tenants had submitted the most reports when compared to residents.

 

When compared to Quarter 3 2024/25, there proved a similar number of Compliments and Comments received in Quarter 3 2025/26.

 

Stage 1 Complaints had slightly increased and Stage 2 Complaints had decreased by a third.

 

For both Quarter 3 2024/25 and Quarter 3 2025/26, Dragonfly (Housing Repairs and Maintenance) had received the most Compliments Complaints.

 

Overall feedback volumes had remained consistent.  A continued and notable increase in Compliments was observed, rising steadily from 20 in Quarter 1 2025/26, to 29 in Quarter 2 2025/26, and to 32 in Quarter 3 2025/26.

 

By Quarter 3 2025/26, Compliments had represented over half of all feedback received, indicating a sustained improvement in customer satisfaction and a positive perception of service delivery.

 

Complaint volumes and escalation levels had showed an overall downward trend.  Importantly, Stage 2 Complaints had reduced consistently across the period, falling from 4 in Quarter 1 2025/26, to 3 in Quarter 2 2025/26, to 2 in Quarter 3 2025/26, demonstrating improved early resolution and fewer escalations.

 

Dragonfly (Housing Repairs and Maintenance) continued to be the largest area of concern for tenants and accounted for almost half of all Stage 1 Complaints in Quarter 3 2025/26.  However, this reflected the high demand for repairs services and the volume of work being delivered for tenants throughout 2025/26, rather than a change in the type of concerns being raised.

 

Examples of Compliments and Complaints were detailed in the report.

 

The Board voiced thanks for the report and noted the number of Complaints received in relation to the number of repairs / maintenance work accomplished was overall exceptionally small in comparison (22 Stage 1 and 2 Stage 2  Complaints received with around 4,500 visits made).

 

Dragonfly (Housing Repairs and Maintenance) was also a front facing service with a high level of contact with tenants – a review of how best to show such information at future meetings would be undertaken.

 

It was noted 2 examples of Complaints detailed in the report might have been the same case.

 

RESOLVED that members of the Board review the overall performance on Compliments, Comments and Complaints handling performance as detailed in the report.

 

 

The Customer Standards and Complaints Officer left the meeting at 11:17 hours.