Issue - meetings

The Mayor considered a report regarding the Corporate Complaints Policy.

The report sought approval for proposed revisions to the Council’s Corporate Complaints Policy to ensure the Council dealt appropriately with complaints raised.  The report set out the procedures to ensure complaints were dealt with under the right process and resolved promptly, and detailed how the authority aimed to rectify issues for customers and learn lessons from those experiences to enhance future outcomes.

The decision required Single Member Executive approval as it was a ‘minor variation to an existing policy or procedure’, as per Section 6.38.2(a) of the constitution.

The policy applied to all services including services directly provided by the Council, by a contractor or through a partnership which the Council led.

The policy covered corporate complaints; it signposted to the separate statutory processes that were in place to manage qualifying complaints about Adult Social Care and/or Children’s Services.  It was indicated that separate processes were also in place for other areas, such as complaints about schools, Councillor and staff misconduct; potential insurance claims and data breaches; parking penalty charge notices; information requests; refusals of planning permission; and school admissions or exclusions.

The policy was reviewed every three years unless there were changes to legislation in the intervening period.  This policy review had included a revision to reflect feedback from the Local Government Social Care Ombudsman to strengthen oversight of complaints once in process to improve control, and ensure responses were appropriately recorded. 

OPTIONS

The Council could choose not to adopt corporate policies on complaints, however statutory duties would remain in place and, in the absence of a standard approach, there would be an increased risk of making decisions that failed to meet those duties, which could result in financial penalty imposed on us.  Given these duties were in place this option was not recommended.

ORDERED that the revised Corporate Complaints Policy be approved.

REASONS

Consideration of policy was required to ensure compliance with the Council’s statutory responsibilities which will ensure the Council articulates how it will deal with complaints raised with the Council and what can be expected from that process.