What we spend and how we spend it
Our service standards
We are measured against standards established nationally through Regulators and Regulatory Bodies these include –
Complaints handling
The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) and the Housing Ombudsman Service (HOS) have established aligned Complaint handling codes which have been implemented with effect from 1 April 2024.
A complaint is “an expression of dissatisfaction, however made, about the standard of service, actions or lack of action by the Council, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting an individual, a resident or group of individuals or residents".
An expression of dissatisfaction in a survey is not a complaint. A complaint is not considered in the following circumstances -
- the issue giving rise to the complaint occurred over 12 months ago
- the complaint relates to a matter that has previously been considered under the complaints policy
- legal proceedings have been started by the complainant, that is a claim has been filed at court
The standards we work to when handling complaints are set out below.
Accessibility standards
- C1 The Council must make it easy for everyone to complain by providing different channels through which they can make a complaint
- C1 The Council must consider their duties under the Equality Act 2010 and anticipate the needs and reasonable adjustments of anyone who may need to access the complaints process
Procedural standard
- C2.1 Complaints procedures should have two stages to ensure complaints are properly considered without undue delay. When a complaint is logged at Stage 1 or escalated to Stage 2
- For Housing Complaints only - the Council must set out their understanding of the complaint and the outcomes the resident is seeking
- C2.2 Complaints must be -
- dealt with on their merits, acting independently, and with an open mind
- provide the customer with a fair chance to set out their position
- take measures to address any actual or perceived conflict of interest
- consider all relevant information and evidence carefully
Timeliness standards
- C3.1 The Council must issue a full response to stage 1 complaints within 10 working days of acknowledging the Complaint.
- C3.2 While extension of this period is permitted, any extension must be no more than 10 working days without good reason, and the reason(s) must be clearly explained to the resident.
- C3.3 Requests for stage 2 must be acknowledged, within five working days of the escalation request being received.
- C3.4 The Council must issue a final response to the stage 2 within 20 working days of the complaint being acknowledged.
Intelligence standards
- C4 The Council must use complaints as a source of intelligence to identify issues and introduce positive changes in service delivery. Accountability and transparency are also integral to a positive complaint handling culture. The Council must report back on wider learning and improvements from complaints to stakeholders, such as residents’ panels, staff and relevant committees.
Accountability standard
- C5 The Executive will receive regular information on complaints that provides insight on the complaint handling performance. This person must have access to suitable information and staff to perform this role and report on their findings. The Directors and the Executive (or equivalent) must receive -
- regular updates on the volume, categories and outcomes of complaints, alongside complaint handling performance
- regular reviews of issues and trends arising from complaint handling
- regular updates on the outcomes of the Ombudsman’s investigations and progress made in complying with orders related to severe maladministration findings
- the annual complaints performance and service improvement report.
Cultural standard
- C6 The Council need to have a collaborative and co-operative approach towards resolving complaints, working with colleagues across teams and departments. Taking collective responsibility for any shortfalls identified through complaints, rather than blaming others and act within the professional standards for engaging with complaints as set by any relevant professional body.
Governance Standard
- C7 The Council must produce an annual complaints performance and service improvement report for scrutiny and challenge, which must include the annual self-assessment against this Code to ensure their complaint handling policy remains in line with its requirements.
Customer Programme Digital First Programme
The 4 mandatory Key Performance Indicators through which to measure the impact of the Customer Programme are -
In addition the service is required to meet the accessibility standards.
Information Governance and Cyber Security
The Information Commissioner requires that the local authority respond to Freedom of Information Requests and Subject Access requests within a set number of days. In addition, the Council is required to undertake Data Protection Impact Assessments upon how it manages data.
Finally there is a requirement to self-report upon Data Breaches and Cyber incidents. The governance for this process is the responsibility of the Senior Information Risk Officer of the Council, cross Council representatives on the Information Governance Group and the Audit Committee.
- D1 respond to 90% of Freedom of Information requests (FOI) within 20 days of receipt, subject to any legitimate extension of deadlines to consider public interest tests
- D2 respond to 90% of Subject Access requests within 30 days of receipt, subject to any legitimate extension of deadlines for large or complex requests
- D3 undertake Data Protection Impact Assessments of the impact of its processes upon the data of citizens
- D4 report upon Data Breaches to its Information Governance Group and as necessary account to the Information Commissioner
- D5.1 comply with the requirements of its annual Public Service Network (PSN) review
- D5.2 ensure that the Technological Platforms and Software it uses are subject to Cyber Security Assessment and the risks of implementation assessed and determined prior to Go-Live
- D6 pursue the What Good Looks Like transformation framework to promote digital integration with the Health and Care System
- D7 the Senior Information Risk Officer person must have access to suitable information and staff to perform their role and report on their findings. The Directors and the Council must receive regular information on Information Governance that provides insight on performance -
- regular updates on the volume, categories and outcomes of requests, alongside handling performance
- regular reviews of issues and trends arising from request handling
- regular updates on the outcomes of the Information Commissioner investigations and progress made in complying with orders related to findings
- the annual performance and service improvement report.
You can access our Customer Feedback Statistics.